THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TOURISM ON
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS, CULTURES AND
ECONOMIES
Harrison Banda
R2210D15286553
Induction
Course short name
LJMU-IND-M-100-47104
7th May 2023
It has been argued that tourism is one of the methods a country can grow its economy by, among
other things, being a significant foreign exchange earner, encouraging investments and
generation of employment (Schubert, Brida and Risso 2011). However, the rapid growth of
tourism has also had negative impacts on the environments, cultures, and economies of local
communities. This essay will explore the negative impacts of tourism on local environments,
cultures, and economies.
Hassan, Salem and Abdelmoaty, 2022) found out that local residents considered the negative
impact on the environment such as traffic congestion and noise pollution where out weighted by
the positive impacts, the influence of travelling of people from one country to the other for
recreational purposes bring along with it significant pressures on the environment which leads to
environmental degradation. The demand for infrastructure and other recreational activities lead
to increased pollution, waste generation, and depletion of natural resources. Furthermore, since
tourist are attracted to particular areas including protected areas results into creation of illegal
roads which contributes to noise pollution that causes disturbance to wildlife. The large numbers
of tourist cause environmental pollution through disposal of plastic wastes and contamination of
underground water resources (Mbaiwa,2003). In addition to this, noise pollution. Additionally,
the increased use of motor vehicles for transportation can lead to increased air pollution and
carbon emissions, contributing to climate change (Scott, Colin Michael Hall and Gössling,
2014). Transport emissions and emissions from energy production and use are linked to acid
rain, global warming and photochemical pollution. Air pollution from tourist transportation has
impacts on the global level, especially from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to
transportation energy use. And it can contribute to severe local air pollution. Some of these
impacts are quite specific to tourist activities (UNEP,2001). Another negative impact of tourism
on local environments is the destruction of natural habitats and ecosystems. Tourists often
engage in activities such as hiking, camping and wildlife viewing, which can cause disturbance
to natural habitats and ecosystems, resulting in the displacement of wildlife and destruction of
habitats (Mbaiwa, 2003). Thus, even though there are merit for tourism, its effect on the
environment cannot be ignored. The impact of activities that accompany or precede tourism have
long lasting negative effect on the environment.
The migration of people to a populated area will result into a combination of cultures between
the indigenous and the migrants. This combination may result into assimilation of cultures and
traditions among the people. These assimilations may have positive results however; the negative
impacts have further reaching effects. The positive socio-cultural impacts of tourism include
cultural exchange between local community and tourists, sense of identity and belonging, and
better quality of life through public services improvements such as health and education
(Petruzzi, Marques and Campos, 2022). The negative socio-cultural impacts of tourism include
the deterioration of the social structure, leading to an increase in vandalism and crime, alcohol,
and drug addiction, and damaging the local culture and language (Petruzzi, Marques and
Campos, 2022). Further to this, tourism results into the local population selling their cultural
practices which results into loss of true identity and cultural values. In addition, commodification
of cultural practices leads to exploitation by tourist thus making the cultural practice a mere
imitation whose goal is to entertain the tourist (Gulp,2021). Tourism can cause displacement of
local population with the aim of preserving a site as a tourist attraction. For example, in Mexico
and in Kenya local populations have been displaced by their governments with the aim of
creating tourist destinations. This has a great impact on the local people because it affects their
livelihoods as the displaced population is forced to work in other unfamiliar industry
(Gulp,2021). Tourism also causes cultural erosion which is as a result of the contact and
interaction between the local population and the tourists. Most often, the indigenous population
would want to replicate the tourist behavior with the aim of being accepted. This will cause a
change in values (Gulp,2021). Culture is important because, apart from defining norms of a
society, it is forms a unique identification of that particular society. Culture is a sum of what
various people share with other people within the society (Halloran, 2014). Therefore, disruption
of a cultural system will result into disruption of a whole social system including its identity.
It is common knowledge that tourism brings economic activities and development to a country
and a particular area. Tourism has been known to contribute to employment, contribution
towards the GDP, infrastructure development and rural development (Mbaiwa,2003). Despite
foregoing, tourism causes negative impact on the local economy. This is mostly true for
economies of developing countries and major tourist cities and towns. The growth of the tourism
industry results into pushing out of local entrepreneurs as well as young professionals. Further to
this, tourism has the effect of diminishing other industry as the local people will change to focus
on the needs of the tourists. The focus on the needs of tourists results into limited economic
opportunities for the local population. For most developing countries, the tourism economy does
not consider the needs or capabilities of the local the population. Most local population within
the tourist destination cannot afford to participate in major economic activities such as having
shares or indeed owning hotels, resorts and other reactional facilities. Most tourist facilities are
characterized by foreign ownership and they are designed to meet the needs and interests of
foreign tourist (Mbaiwa,2003). Prices for commodities and services within tourist destinations
are often higher than any place within the same country. This is caused by the influx of tourist to
those particular areas which causes demand for those commodities and service and as result
prices are hiked creating inflation. The high prices will cause the local population to fail to
access the goods and the services. Migration of tourist to tourist destinations creates demand for
services and products (The Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Tourism Industry on
People of Arba Minch and its Surroundings, 20110). Therefore, in as much as the positive
impacts of tourism on the local economies are popularly magnified, the negative effects weigh
heavily on the local population as they are left with little or no choice of any economic activities
other than those demanded by the tourism industry. Further to this, in most tourist locations, the
youth and professionals are forced to leave their hometowns due to lack of opportunity to
practice any other occupation or enterprise apart from those that are related to the tourism
industry, to a large extent.
The importance of tourism to a country cannot be overly emphasized. Tourism creates a suitable
environment for economic activities for the local population. Despite some positive impacts that
tourism can bring about, there are numerous negative impacts that tourism can have on local
population and the environment which can have lasting effects. Tourism brings about demand for
high quality infrastructure like roads and hotels. The construction of these infrastructure as well
as usage of the same causes environmental degradation, erosion as well as the ecosystem. Noise
and dust pollution cause some of the wild life to leave their natural habitats. Migration of tourist
to other places causes integration of the tourist and the local population which may lead to
cultural commodification which leads to loss cultural loss authenticity of cultural practice and
cultural identities. The requirement to create tourism sites, local population are displaced to away
from their original homes or villages. This forces the displaced population to abandoned their
livelihood and their original industry to adopt different industry and livelihood. The negative
impacts of the tourism on the local population have lasting effects that disrupt livelihoods as well
as the environment, these impacts cannot be reversed easily.
REFERENCE
Mbaiwa, J.E. (2003). The socio-economic and environmental impacts of tourism development on
the Okavango Delta, north-western Botswana. Journal of Arid Environments, 54(2), pp.447–467.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2002.1101.
Milano, C., Cheer, J.M. and Novelli, M. (2018). Overtourism: a growing global problem.
[online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/overtourism-a-growingglobal-problem-100029
Morgan Gulp (2021) Tourism’s impact om local Population. Nebraska Anthropologist, 29:
University of Nebraska
Petruzzi, M.A., Marques, C. and Campos, A.C. (2022). Socio‐cultural impacts of peer‐to‐peer
accommodation on host communities. International Journal of Tourism Research.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2555.
Schubert, S.F., Brida, J.G. and Risso, W.A. (2011). The impacts of international tourism demand
on economic growth of small economies dependent on tourism. Tourism Management, 32(2),
pp.377–385. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.03.007.
Scott, D., Colin Michael Hall and Gössling S. (2014). Tourism and Climate Change : Impacts,
Adaptation and Mitigation. London ; New York: Routledge
Tanti, C., Stukas, A.A., Halloran, M.J. and Foddy, M. (2011). Social identity change: Shifts in
social identity during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 34(3), pp.555–567.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.05.012.
The Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Tourism Industry on People of Arba Minch
and its Surroundings. (2019). Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports.
doi:https://doi.org/10.7176/jths/40-01.
United Nations Environment Programme (2001) UNEP annual report 2001. Available at:
https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/8168 (Accessed: 7 May 2023)