What this lesson teaches
I can explain how tourism affects the environment of a place, for better and for worse.
Syllabus K226, Topic 2.2, Key Question 4. How does tourism affect the environment of places?
Make a guess
A resort island gets more visitors each year. Each visitor now uses less water than before. What happens to the island's total water use?
- It must fall, because each visitor uses less.
- It does not matter, because water use has no impact.
- It stays the same, as the two changes cancel out.
- It can still rise, if visitor numbers grow fast.
Show the answer
It can still rise, if visitor numbers grow fast.
Use per visitor falling does not mean total use falls. Many more visitors each using a little less can add up to more water overall.
Tourism can pollute, destroy habitats and drain resources, which harms residents and can ruin the attraction itself.
Tourism can damage the environment it depends on. Flights, hotels and activities use energy and release greenhouse gases. Poor sewage treatment pollutes water. Badly managed rubbish harms wildlife and spoils landscapes. These pressures grow as visitor numbers rise, unless facilities and behaviour keep up.
Hotels, roads and attractions can encroach on, or take over, natural areas. Building can break habitats into smaller pieces. Demand for water, food, energy and building materials can use up supplies that residents need.
The damage depends on the size, location and management of development. Calling a business nature-based does not remove its impacts. Damage can harm residents' health and jobs, and make the destination less attractive to visitors.
Careful siting, visitor limits, good waste treatment and using less water help, but some damage is hard to reverse. Judge total pressure as well as pressure per visitor. Each visitor may use less water, but total use can still rise if visitor numbers grow fast.
- Pollution
- Emissions, sewage and poorly managed waste.
- Encroachment
- Building takes over natural habitat.
- Total vs per visitor
- Totals can rise even if each visitor uses less.
Step by step
Activity
Transport, building, hotels or visitor behaviour.
Pathway
Emissions, sewage, waste or habitat loss.
Consequence
Harm to nature, residents and future tourism.
Real examples to use
Boracay, 2018
Hotels and restaurants had been releasing sewage into the sea. The island was closed for six months so sewage systems could be fixed.
Worked example: More rooms, hidden costs
A new coastal hotel brings in customers. But clearing coastal habitat and releasing untreated wastewater damage the scenery and ecosystem. Weigh the income against these losses.
Watch out for this
A holiday in a natural place has no environmental impact.
Travel, buildings, water use and waste still create pressure.
Check your understanding
A destination advertises clean beaches but lacks enough sewage treatment. What fixes the real problem?
- Ask hotels to keep their own sewage inside their grounds.
- Clean the beaches each morning before visitors arrive.
- Improve sewage treatment to match demand, then test.
Show the answer
Improve sewage treatment to match demand, then test.
Yes. It tackles the cause and checks the result.