Example of the Tourism Advantages & Disadvantages Activity:
Activity:
You are to select a destination, facility or attraction somewhere in the world –
somewhere/something you know about or maybe have visited (e.g. Disneyland, Whitsunday
Islands, Dream World, Great Barrier Reef, Cradle Mountain, Uluru)
You are to research background information and build up a list of advantages &
disadvantages of Tourism in that area/at that site (see the below example of the Tourism
Advantages & Disadvantages for the Great Wall of China)
Remember to include: Maps and a bit of background information
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TASK ?
For THIS activity – you can copy & paste your findings off the Net – it is a class activity to get
you thinking carefully before your major assignment.
That assignment will involve you writing an impact statement – more information about that
to follow – for YOUR Tourist ‘venture’/resort etc.
Therefore you are learning about the “theory” to apply to your activity/major assignment.
-----------------------------Great Wall of China
Effects that Tourism has on it, its environment & the culture
Background Information:
In the north of China, there lies a 8,851.8-kilometer-long (5,500-mile-long) ancient wall. Now
well-known as the Great Wall of China, it starts at the Jiayuguan Pass of Gansu Province in
the west and ends at the Shanhaiguan Pass of Hebei Province in the east. As one of the
Seven Wonders in the world, the Great Wall of China has become the symbol of the Chinese
nation and its culture.

7th century BC: Construction of the Great Wall begun by feudal warlords.

Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC): Lengths of the Great Wall were joined together (alongside the
union of China).

206 BC–1368 AD: Extension and rebuilding to protect the northern borders of the Chinese
Empire from invaders.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644): The Great wall reached its greatest extent.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): The last Chinese dynasty was ushered in by a beach of the
Great Wall at Shanhai Pass by Manchu invaders in league with a disenchanted general.
Great Wall maintenance ceased for more than 3 centuries.

Late 20th century: Various Great Wall sections became tourist attractions.
The Great Wall of China is a huge construction which starts from Hushan Great Wall in the
east and ends at Jiayuguan Pass in the west, across Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin,
Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai Provinces.
How many people worked and died while building the Great Wall of China?
Countless, there is no accurate number on how many people died building the Great Wall.
How tall is the Great Wall of China?
The main body of the Ming Great Wall measures 21 feet tall on average
General Information- An Overview of Facts

Significance: the longest fortification ever built

Purpose: to defend the Chinese Empire from Mongolian and Manchu enemies to the
north.

Tourism: China’s biggest and most popular tourist attraction.

Provinces and municipalities crossed: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi,
Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu

Location: From Shanhai Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to Jiayu Pass (39.85N, 97.54E).
Straight line distance: 1900 km (1200 mi). Most popular sections are around Beijing.

Closest section to Beijing: Juyong Pass (55 km or 34 mi)

Most visited section: Badaling (63,000,000 visitors in 2001)

Terrain: Mostly mountainous, taking advantage of natural obstacles. From the Bohai
coast at Qinhuangdao, around the north of the Great Plain of China, across the Loess
Plateau, and along the desert corridor of Gansu between the Plateau of Tibet and the
loess hills of Inner Mongolia.

Altitude: From sea level to over 500 meters (1,600 feet)

Best time to visit the Great Wall: Beijing sections: spring or autumn. Jiayu Pass: May to
October. Shanhai Pass: summer and early autumn.
Map:
Advantages of Tourism to the
Great Wall of China
Disadvantages of Tourism to
the Great Wall of China
Employment for many over the centuries
Deaths of workers/builders & employment:
How many people worked and died while
e.g.
building the Great Wall of China?
A section of Sui's (581 - 618) wall in Inner
Mongolia required more than 1,000,000 men
Answer: Countless, there is no
to build. Besides the first 300,000 soldiers,
accurate number on how many
Qin's wall required another 500,000 common
people died building the Great Wall
people to complete the work.
Criminals were forced into labour as
punishment. During the day, they were
ordered to take turns patrolling the wall,
while at night, building and extending the
wall. They were required to serve four years
of hard labour according to laws at that time.
Soldiers made up the main construction
group.
The Great Wall is a wonder that the ancient
Chinese laboring people created. At that
time, there were no machines. All the work
depended on manpower. Those millions of
people worked among the continuous
mountains and steep cliffs. They worked
facing dangers and many of them lost their
lives.
According to historical data, the labour force
was made up of three groups:
soldiers, common people and criminals.
Since the Qin Dynasty (221BC - 206BC), the
construction of the Great Wall had been a
very large project. The Emperor Qin
Shihuang ordered millions of people to finish
this project.
Soldiers made up the main construction
group. This was the case with the building
of the wall of Northern Qi (550-557). Also,
during the Qin Dynasty, 300,000 soldiers
were redirected to build the wall after
General Meng Tian conquered the Huns.
Still, it took nine years to finish the work. In
order to take care of the soldiers and make
them feel settled, the court even arranged for
widows to marry them.
Millions of common people were called up to
build the wall. Northern Qi's wall, starting
from Xiakou to Hengzhou, used 1,800,000
laborers. A section of Sui's (581 - 618) wall
in Inner Mongolia required more than
1,000,000 men to build. Besides the first
300,000 soldiers, Qin's wall required another
500,000 common people to complete the
work.
Criminals were forced into labour as
punishment. During the day, they were
ordered to take turns patrolling the wall,
while at night, building and extending the
wall. They were required to serve four years
of hard labour according to laws at that time.
It's a big burden for ordinary people to build
the Great Wall. Sometimes, all the men in
the nation were forced to construct. For
instance, during the Wei-Jin and SouthernNorthern dynasties (around 265-589), even
children had to join this project.
As a result, no men were engaged in
farming, women were frightened to have a
boy, and widowers dared not to marry a
woman.
Also the Great Wall construction led to a
large number of deaths and injuries. For
those who lost sons or husbands, life would
become much harder.
Exploitation
Employment opportunities may seem
exciting to begin with but may become a
negative socio-cultural impact
Some companies may exploit (abuse) local
populations for their own benefits through:
Child labour
Forced labour
Cheap labour
so that the large corporations reap most of
the economic benefits
INCREASE in Tourism assists the locals –
Tourism: China’s biggest and most
popular tourist attraction.
Most visited section: Badaling
(63,000,000 visitors in 2001)
China has become one of the world's mostwatched and hottest inbound and outbound
tourist markets. The world is on the cusp of a
sustained Chinese tourism boom.[1]
China is the world's third most visited country
in the world. The number of overseas tourists
was 55.98 million in 2010.[2] Foreign
exchange income was 45.8 billion U.S.
dollars, the world's fourth largest in 2010.
The number of domestic tourist visits totaled
1.61 billion, with a total income of 777.1
billion yuan.[1]
China's tourism revenue reached $185
billion in 2009.
Travel within China has become easier in
recent years with the lifting of travel
controls, massive investment in
transportation facilities such as roads,
railways and airlines, and the rapid rise in
incomes. The number of domestic
tourists increased from 695 million in
1998 to 878 million in 2002, boosting
Over visited by tourists – ruining it from over
use e.g.
In July 2009, TravelChinaGuide (abbr. TCG)
sent a survey group to investigate the Great
Wall situation in Shandan County, Zhangye
City, Gansu Province. This is our second
visit to the Great Wall located in that place
after 2002. We found the situation of the
Great Wall is not optimistic. Compared to the
wall pictures taken in 2002, many sections
have become shorter, smaller or
disappeared.
The Great Wall is in danger!
The Great Wall, owing to its huge bulk, long
length and variant construction materials, is
difficult to protect well compared to other
relics which can be kept in museums.
Besides natural disasters such as storms
and earthquakes, the wall also suffers from
human sabotage
.
(Most visited section: Badaling (63,000,000
visitors in 2001)
There are four primary types of man-made
sabotages.
The first is the taking of bricks, earth and
domestic tourism receipts from
Rmb239.1 billion (US$28.9 billion) to
Rmb387.8 billion (US$46.9 billion).
stones from the wall for constructional
materials.
The second is modern construction (such as
the highway building) that develops at the
price of damaging the wall.
Being one of the world cultural and natural
heritages, the Great Wall of China, belongs
to the world, so everyone has the
responsibility to protect it.
The third is damage caused by tourism
access development.
In September of 2006, the State Council
promulgated the regulation on the protection
of the Great Wall which went into effect on
December 1 of the same year.
In recent years, people have learned the
importance of wall protection. Since they
innocently repair the wall according to their
own imagination without concern for its
historical appearance, this is also considered
a kind of damage.
In recent years, people have learned the
importance of wall protection. Since they
repair the wall
Being one of the world cultural and natural
heritages, the Great Wall of China, belongs
to the world, so everyone has the
responsibility to protect it.
Visitors should behave themselves on the
wall, never defacing the bricks, never moving
the bricks and never throwing litter about.
People who live near the wall should not take
bricks, stones and earth from the wall to
build their own houses, or dig in the wall for
sheepfolds or latrines. Officials should
complete and enforce relevant regulations
and laws.
Depletion of natural resources
Water resources
Overuse of water for hotels, swimming pools,
golf courses, personal use
Local population don’t have enough water for
their own needs
Local resources
Energy, food, raw materials used excessively
in tourism -> damages environment
physically
Land degradation
Land destroyed due to tourist activities
Construction of facilities and attractions
damage natural environment
Tourist activities e.g. walking,
As destination develops, tourist numbers
increase
Relationship between locals and tourists
become more informal
Visitors are taken for granted – tourists are
only seen as a source of money
ECONOMICS:
Investment & Development Increase due to
increased tourist demands for Goods &
Services
Tourist brings currency into country and
spends
Benefits the host country
Tourism creates many various jobs via:
Direct employment
Directly involved in tourism e.g. hotel, travel
agency
Indirect employment
Jobs in the tourism supply sector e.g.
catering company providing food to an airline
Induced employment
Created because of an increase wealth of
the locals from tourism; locals spend more
money in their local economy
Income
Money created in local economy at a
destination through:
Wages and salaries
Locals employed in the local area
Profits
Local businesses benefitting from tourist
spending
Rent
Leasing accommodation to tourists and
‘migrating’ workforce
SOCIAL and CULTURAL IMPACT
Negative Socio-cultural Impacts
Education and training
Commodification
Turning a product or service into something
different in order to please the tourist
Performances and ceremonies are
commodified (made more attractive and
dramatic) in order to appeal to tourists
Not representing the true culture of the locals
Also known as ‘staged authenticity’
Provides opportunity for locals to learn new
skills and qualifications
Skills and qualifications are essential in
tourism industry
Staff training and development within
organizations
e.g. customer services, IT etc
Enhanced quality of life
Positive economic impacts of tourism effect
the quality of life locals will experience
Increase in tourist spending in tourist
destination leads to an increase in
disposable income for locals
Public sector investment in an area can
improve local infrastructure (roads, facilities
etc)
Pride
Increase in local pride as:
Crime
Where there are more tourists, crime rates
are higher
Tourists are ‘easy targets’ for thieves
Tourists carry a lot of valuables when
travelling
Appeals to poor locals who cannot afford
these goods
Tourists may also become involved in illegal
experiences
Prostitution and drugs etc
Tourists therefore help to develop the illegal
industries
more tourists visit a destination and
as increase in investment into local area
Pride in local traditions, customs, culture,
food, crafts, ceremonies etc
Can renew interest in host population’s
culture
Locals observe tourists and try to copy
(emulate) them
This can be in terms of:
Behaviour, culture, clothes, food etc
Leads to a loss of identity and culture
More apparent in younger generations
‘Westernisation’ – western culture favoured
over other local cultures
Displacement
Development of tourism areas can lead to an
area becoming too expensive for locals to
continue living there
Land needed for large constructions can also
move local inhabitants
Governments believe that the tourism
infrastructure will outweigh the need for
displacement
Economic
Increase in prosperity within host population
can lead to new social classes
Can create tension between:
Locals
Locals and tourists
Migrant workers and locals
Resources become more expensive:
Cost of living increases e.g. foods, service,
housing etc
Causes resentment between locals and
tourists