What this lesson teaches
I can explain how responsible production and consumption can keep tourism sustainable in the future.
Syllabus K329, Topic 2.3, Key Question 4. How might tourism continue to develop sustainably?
Make a guess
After a tourism boom, a town's average income goes up. Can some residents still be worse off?
- Yes. An average can hide people who lose out.
- Not unless the town has no hotels.
- No, because fair distribution means equal incomes.
- No, because a higher average means everyone gains.
Show the answer
Yes. An average can hide people who lose out.
A few high earners can lift the average while others face higher rents or lose business. Compare groups, not just the average.
Look beyond averages: compare who gains, who pays the costs and whether the benefits can last.
Fair distribution means sharing benefits and opportunities fairly across society. It does not mean everyone earns the same. It does mean checking who pays the costs or misses out. An average can hide big differences.
A trade-off is when one gain brings a cost somewhere else. Between dimensions, a new hotel may create jobs but use more water. Within one dimension, profits may rise while workers stay poorly paid or small firms lose business.
Fair buying, good working conditions, open shared funds and real participation can reduce these trade-offs. They cannot remove every cost.
Use several measures over time: job security, money kept locally, residents' access, cultural control, water use and habitat health. Compare groups and seasons. A good judgement explains which approach fits the destination, what evidence supports it and what is needed for benefits to last.
- Fair distribution
- Sharing benefits fairly, not equally.
- Trade-off
- A gain in one area brings a cost in another.
- Averages
- Can hide large differences between groups.
Step by step
Compare groups
Workers, owners, residents and poorer households.
Explain the trade-off
Link each gain to its cost.
Judge and review
Choose an approach and monitor results.
Worked example: Most people can gain less than average
In made-up data, 10 owners each gain $1,000 a month and 90 workers each gain $20. The average gain is $118 per person, yet most people gain only $20. So check who gains, not just the average.
Watch out for this
A higher average income proves everyone benefits equally.
An average hides the spread. Look at different groups.
Check your understanding
A tourism project reports higher average income. What is the best next step?
- Report the rise in income as proof that the project has succeeded.
- Examine gains, access and costs for each group over time.
- Assume a typical household gained about the average.
Show the answer
Examine gains, access and costs for each group over time.
Yes. Averages hide differences.