No matter what the industry, no matter what the activity, there are always going to be impacts. The impacts of something will always be both positive and negative.
In this tourism is no different. All the components of tourism have an effect on each other. People and products will always have both a positive and a negative impact on places. Impacts are basically measured by the effects an industry has on the economy and environment. The social effects are extremely important too.
Social Impacts
The social impact of tourism refers to the impacts on the local community whether it be of a town, city, region or country. E.g. Tourism may cause overcrowding of a city or town during the high season.
Environmental Impacts
The environmental impact refers to the impacts tourism has on the environment: the land, sea and air. E.g. Pollution generated from aeroplanes arriving and departing constantly from a major gateway into a country.
Economic Impacts
The economic impact refers to the impacts tourism has on the local economy e.g. the demand for tourism creates jobs and brings money into region/country.
NOTE: Please be aware that the positive and negative impacts of tourism may not fall under just one of the above categories, e.g. the creation of jobs, is both economic and social.
Below is a case study about a seaside town which has a proposal for a resort complex to be built.
Case Study - Positive and Negative Impacts of a Large Development on a Small Town.
Let’s think about a small seaside town somewhere in the world!
“This town is all about sun, surf and having fun! It’s easily accessible as it is located only one hour from a major city. Needless to say it’s a popular place to visit! But that is just the problem, people come to visit, but rarely stay!
The reasons behind people visiting but not staying are fairly simple…there’s simply not enough accommodation to meet the demand of tourists, there’s only one motel, three B&B’s, one backpackers and one campground! There are several batches and holiday homes which are rented out however.
This small town is situated along a main tourist route, where two other major tourist towns are also situated, but further up the coast. The population is just over 1000 residents usually, but in the summer months this number swells to over 10,000! As mentioned earlier, the town currently doesn’t have enough accommodation to meet the needs of the tourists, therefore the tourists travel further up the coast to other two tourist towns, and they base themselves there.
The regional council decided something must be done to capture all this income which the town is losing out on. They have prepared a proposal which for the construction of a new resort development on the waterfront! This 300 room, four star resort will cater for the demands of tourists wishing to stay and base themselves in the town. The council hopes that this resort complex will bring tourists to the area during the low season as the town struggles during this time.
The proposal outline shows that the resort will have three lagoon style pools, three restaurants and bars, a café, a shopping boutique within the complex, a tour desk which will showcase the area’s activities and attractions, a spa facility and various activities onsite including tennis, mini-golf, kayaking, snorkelling, sailing, jet skiing and scuba diving.”