THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM
AND HOSPITALITY
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Determine the
hospitality;
economic
effects
of
tourism
and
2. Discuss the social impacts of tourism and hospitality;
3. Explain the impacts of tourism and hospitality on culture;
and
4. Analyze the environmental impacts of tourism and
hospitality.
The Impacts of Tourism and Hospitality
The rapid growth of tourism and
hospitality in the twentieth century
has produced both problems and
benefits for destinations countries. It
has had visible impacts on the
sociocultural and socioeconomic
environment.
The Positive Economic Effects of
Tourism and Hospitality
Income - Tourism income, in general, comes
from wages and salaries, interest, rent, and
profit.
•
The sum of all income in a country is called
National Income.
•
Multipliers are means of estimating how much
extra income is produced in an economy as a
result of the initial spending or injection of cash.
The Positive Economic Effects of
Tourism and Hospitality
 Employment – The tourist industry offers more employment opportunities
than other economic sectors.
There are three types of employment generated by tourism and hospitality.
•
Direct Employment is generated as a result of providing goods and services
directly to tourist in hotels, restaurant, bars, nightclub and the like.
•
Indirect Employment consists of those positions that are associated with
other tourism-related activities but are used by both the local resident and
the tourist.
•
Induced Employment refers to people working in positions only peripherally
related to tourism and hospitality, but generated because of it.
The Positive Economic Effects of
Tourism and Hospitality
Balance of Payments – is an accounting of flow
of goods, services and funds in and out of the
country during a given period. If a country pays
or agrees to pay more money than it receives, it
has deficit in its balance of payments. If it
receives more money than it sends or exports, it
has a surplus in its balance of payments.
The Positive Economic Effects of
Tourism and Hospitality
Investment and Developments – Once an
area
has
become
economically
successful, businessmen and government
agencies may be influenced to invest in
tourism and hospitality and other industries
in that area. This is known by economists
as an accelerator concept.
Negative Economic Aspects of Tourism
and Hospitality
 Inflation and Land Values – The inflationary effects of tourism and hospitality
can arise in different ways. Inflation within destination areas is also caused
by increasing land values.
 High Leakages – Leakage occurs from a variety of sources. It occurs from
the cost of goods and services that must be imported to satisfy the needs
of tourists.
 Seasonality – The seasonality of demand is reflected in hotel occupancy
rates.
 Overdependence on Tourism and Hospitality – Tourism is highly susceptible
to changes from within and outside the industry.
Social Impacts of Tourism and
Hospitality
The social impacts of tourism and hospitality
should not be confused with the popular term “
social tourism”. The social impacts of tourism
and hospitality refer to the changes in the
quality of life of residents of tourist destinations.
Host – Visitor Interactions
Tourism and hospitality causes more interaction
between peoples particularly between the
tourists or visitors and the local residents or hosts.
To understand the social impact tourists have on
an area, the characteristics of various types of
visitors and the level of interaction with the hosts
should be clarified.
Smith (1997), categorized tourists into several types and outlined her views on
the intensity of interaction between the tourists (visitors) and the local residents
(hosts). Her classifications are as follows:
1. Explorer – This type of visitor is interested in being an active participant
observer among the population.
2. Elite – This type of tourist is few in number.
3. Offbeat – This tourist adapts well to simple accommodations and services
provided for the occasional guest.
4. Unusual Tourist – This tourist loves sub-exotic cultural sites, and the unusual or
primitive sites as long as he can quickly and safely return to more familiar
surroundings and group.
5. Incipient Mass Tourist – This is a visitor who looks for the amenities of Western
societies in hotels and other travel-related facilities.
6. Mass Tourist – He comes from the middle class.
7. Charter Tourist – The charter tourist comes “en masse” with others of his kind
creating an extremely high amount of business and receiving a high
degree of standardization in services and products.
Table 1. Frequency and Types of Tourists
and their Adaptation to local norms
Types of Tourists
Number of Tourists
Adaptation to Local
Norms
Explorer
Very Limited
Adapts fully
Elite
Rarely Seen
Adapts fully
Offbeat
Uncommon but seen
Adapts well
Unusual
Occasional
Adapts slightly
Incipient Mass
Steady flow
Seeks Western amenities
Mass
Continuous influx
Expects Western
amenities
Charter
Massive arrivals
Demands Western
amenities
Positive Social Effects of Tourism and
Hospitality
 Some of the positive effects of tourism and hospitality are
the following:
1. It creates a new medium for social change and multicultural
understanding;
2. It encourages adaptation to the realities of modern life and
works towards improving the host country’s environment and
lifestyle options;
3. It promotes knowledge and use of foreign languages; and;
4. It improves health conditions and disease control.
Use of foreign language
 Use of a foreign language brings people in contact with
those of other language groups. The need and the
desire to communicate increase interest in both the host
and visitors to learn another language.
Improved Health Conditions and
Disease Control
The desire of tourists for high quality public health facilities
can contribute to the maintenance and improvement of
those facilities in destinations areas and provide additional
sources of revenue which, in turn, can be invested in
upgrading water and sewage disposal facilities.
Negative Social Effects of Tourism and
Hospitality
•
Social Saturation – The presence of large numbers of tourists in particular
places at specific times results in saturation or congestion of facilities and
services and competition for limited resources.
•
Changes in the Social Structure, Behavior and Roles – Tourism and
Hospitality changes the traditional forms of employment which results in the
lowering of the status of agricultural workers, migration of the population,
and the breaking up of families.
•
Community Problems – Prostitutions, often called the “oldest profession”,
certainly existed before the growth of mass tourism. It is difficult to say how
responsible tourism and hospitality has been for the rise of prostitution in
tourist destinations.
•
Negative Demonstrative Effects – consists of tourist behaviors which can be
considered socially and economically inappropriate.
Impact Control Measures
 A number of control measures can be adapted to decrease the
negative change in an area. Some of these are:
1. Reducing the contact between hosts and guests by limiting the
carrying capacity of the destination and by regulating the tourist
flow;
2. Separating the hosts and the tourists within tourist enclaves.
3. Designing community education and citizen involvement programs
centered on tourism and hospitality development, policy, and
regulatory issues; and
4. Expanding human resource development and training programs in
all components of the tourism and hospitality system to include
social skills (interpersonal relations and networking referral tactics).
Impact of Tourism and Hospitality on
Culture
 Tourism and hospitality increases the acculturation
process as the cultural convergence of people.
• Acculturation is defined as those changes that occur in
a culture through borrowing from other cultures.
• Cultural convergence is the tendency of world cultures
to become more alike.
Positive Effects of Tourism and
Hospitality on Culture
• Intercultural Communication – Mobility which is
a prerequisite of tourism and hospitality, is
necessary
for
different
social
groups,
nationalities and cultures to meet and interact.
• Renaissance of Native Culture – Tourism and
hospitality may be important to the host country
to remind its people of its history and culture.
Negative Cultural Impact of Tourism
and Hospitality
While tourism and hospitality has enable
different people to restore and maintain interest
in their own cultures , it also led to the
destruction of a country’s work of art.
Impact Control Measures
1. Develop programs which enhance tourism and
hospitality’s contribution to intercultural communication
and interaction such as matching tourist types with
destination characteristics and designing programs for
the interaction of local residents and guests promoting
goodwill “ambassador” tourist education; and
2. Incorporate local indigenous features within Westernstyle structures such as decorating hotel interiors with
local paintings, murals and sculpture and encouraging
porters, maids, and waiters to dress in native costumes.
Environmental Impact of Tourism and
Hospitality
 The history of tourism and hospitality closely shows that
the environment has contributed to the birth and
progress of tourism and hospitality. The term
“environment” connotes both human and physical
characteristics.
Positive Environmental Impact of
Tourism and Hospitality
 Tourism and hospitality has created environmental awareness in two
ways:
1. Contact with scenic areas has raised man’s awareness
of the Earth’s beauty and made it easier for him to see
and enjoy it with minimum damage; and
2. Environmental awareness has been heightened by mass
tourism which caused direct and indirect destruction.
Conservation
Conservation
and
preservation
of
the
environment not only benefit the local area but
they also determine the future of tourism and
hospitality.
Development of Attractions
 Historic Preservation
Many historical sites in both urban and rural areas have been preserved to
attract tourists.
 Residents Benefits
Tourism and hospitality benefits the local residents in a number of ways. The
first benefit is that the results of conservation and preservation can be enjoyed
by the local community as well as by the tourists. Another benefit which results
from tourism and hospitality development can be seen in coastal areas.
Negative Environment Impact of
Tourism and Hospitality
• Environment Conflicts – Some of the problems affecting
the quality of the environment are destruction of the
vegetation, polluted (air, water, and noise) and the
destruction of wildlife.
• Geological Conflicts – Tourism and hospitality affects
geological formations.
• Resident Conflicts – A number of conflicts frequently
occur between residents and tourists or tourism
developers.