Tourism: how to balance benefiting and bruising modern society.

The term Tourism' was first used officially in 1937 by the League of Nations, predecessor of the United Nations. As a highly lucrative industry with one of the world's fastest development rates, tourism has been redefined more than 20 times by government bodies, travel organisations and of course the tourists themselves.

This article will explore the resources gained through global tourism, the negative impacts it causes as well as the policies implanted  to ensure protection of tourist destinations and their inhabitants.

The idea that society needs to engage in more responsible tourism was first recognised internationally at the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil, where 182 governments adopted Agenda 21. The first of its kind to attain international cooperation, Agenda 21 declares that:

"Tourism should contribute to the conservation, protection and restoration of the Earth's ecosystems"

"Environmental protection should constitute an integral part of the tourism development process", and

"Tourism development should recognize and support the identity, culture and interests of indigenous peoples."

Ten years later the UN assigned 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism. Ecotourism is a modern term for responsible leisure travel that conserves the environment and welfare of communities in a tourist's host country.

~The Benefits~

Global tourism employs over 200 million people, accounting for approximately 10% of the total international income of US$500 billion. It supports families that would otherwise suffer, for example, the aftermath of the Bali bombings in 2002 resulted in hundreds of local families without food on the table because tourists, too scared to return or travel to Bali, stopped needing the services of the average working men and women. This is especially important for rural areas and third world countries in need of urgent income.

Tourism, particularly  ecotourism, promotes environmental values and provides funding for countries to ensure preservation of their natural resources by placing environments under a foreign spotlight. There are many examples of tourist sites that encompass preservation of biodiversity, for instance: the laws preventing visitors from removing flora and fauna in the Great Barrier Reef, and those laws that protect hundreds of trees of cultural and historical significance in Redwood National Park, USA. This aspect improves the welfare of wildlife habitats and residents of places with frequent visitors.

Tourism can be very beneficial for locals, as it provokes communities and their governments into maintaining and investing in clean and safe public infrastructure, as well as keeping transport reliable. For example, the Gold Coast in Queensland is constantly funded to keep its beaches clean, so it can continue to attract tourists from all over the world.

~The Bruises~

Tourism negatively impacts environments and their people from the highest mountain to the deepest cave. Many of these impacts affect one aspect and the other is affected as a consequence.

To begin, tourist accommodation requires land that can sometimes belong to or have significance for an indigenous group. When traditional landowners are forced to relocate, their resentment towards the invading visitors sometimes means that they refuse to display their way of life including art, rituals and beliefs. This results in the diluting of culture and creates a lack of understanding, and therefore appreciation, of different lifestyles and environments. We need this understanding in order to protect the cultures and their knowledge, for instance, medical uses of certain plants.

Communities that reject exploitation of their culture are often sucked dry of their resources and businesses in order to make way for hospitality facilities. For example, in Malaysia, 29 local stores were forcibly shut down to clear land for a tourist accommodation development.

As for the environment, tourism ultimately creates a massive decline in biodiversity and also causes problems such as erosion, deforestation and pollution.

Take Jamaica, for example. Only a few short years ago, Jamaican beaches were lined with sand dunes that supported root systems for vegetation and created protective barriers against flood and erosion. Nowadays, hotel, road and restaurant construction, as well as intensified use of public beaches has caused the dunes to disappear.

Negligence on the behalf of tourists has put the existence of plant and animal life in jeopardy. Thoughtless activities including stealing wildlife for souvenir purposes and littering can cause changes such as loss of habitats or food sources for animals and changes in soil nutrients for plants. Tourists seeking a challenging or adventurous holiday may have no idea what their leisurely  break is doing to the environment and business of the local people. For example, tourists who climb over Uluru in Central Australia speed the process of eroding the monumental land feature. Those who climb Mount Everest are often guilty of leaving behind litter such as oxygen tanks and camping equipment which damages habitats. In pacific or tropical island countries, such as Cuba and New Caledonia, tourists who want prime coastal locations have second homes or resorts built on beaches were turtles come ashore to lay eggs.

To preserve the wonders of our planet we have been privileged to experience, we need to take more consistent and efficient action, and soon! The following are some ideas or developing plans to lower the negativity tourism brings, reward progress and heighten the advantages the industry presents for all.

~Balancing the Pros and Cons~

Ways in which tourism companies, communities and individual tourists can make a difference.

*Create higher fines for littering in the bush, at beaches, cultural buildings, etc.

*Invest in less invasive methods of enjoying forests such as boardwalks and cable cars

*Educate both the tourists and the host communities; make them aware of the impacts a holiday can create if the future is not regarded with priority

*Support local businesses

*Involve all community members in decision making

*Respect the social and cultural practices of host communities and abide by their laws and routines

*Advertise natural attributes, eg. coral reefs, rather than cultural ones, eg. theme parks, to create more incentive for the unique features

*Award annual prizes to companies around the world that practice ecotourism and provide low impact, culturally appropriate and environmentally benign tourism operations

Modern lifestyle has transformed holidaying from a luxury to a necessity. The business of showing of the places and activities we see and do everyday to an audience of awestruck  foreigners for more money that it's worth is to blame for impacting our own lives, environments and ecosystems. Although we all deserve some relaxation, society as a whole needs to pull their act together and stop abusing the privilege of enjoying unfamiliar culture and cuisine. Now is the time to reassess the balance of benefiting and bruising modern society.

There's a saying in Asia: Tourism is like fire; you can cook your supper with it, but it can also burn your house down.'