Tourism in Third World
Development
http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/home.htm
http://www.world-tourism.org/index.htm
Tourism’s Importance in Development
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Tourism is an important economic activity
Over 700 million people traveled to a foreign country in
2000, spending more US$ 478 billion.
International tourism receipts combined with passenger
transport currently total more than US$ 575 billion
Thus tourism is the world's number one export earner,
ahead of automotive products, chemicals, petroleum
and food.
If we consider tourism's potential in encouraging job
creation, this would seem to be a natural course of
action to stimulate growth
But World Bank has been slow to encourage this and
many governments have only moved recently to push
this as a means of revenue generation and poverty
alleviation.
Global Tourism Growth
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There were about 700 million international tourist
arrivals worldwide in 2002
Tourism receipts have grown dramatically since 1985
Air transport increased its share against road in
international holidays; together these two account for
85% of all international trips. Rail and sea transport
remain below 8% each.
Tourism Growth
January-August 2004
period growth is
estimated at 12%,
corresponding to an
increase by some 58
million arrivals.
 This leap is primarily a
reaction to last year's
depressed figures due to
the Iraq war, SARS and
the weak economy
 Terrorist activity and
natural disasters continue
to have depressing
effects on tourism
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Sustainable Tourism
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Three interconnected aspects: environmental,
socio-cultural, and economic
Sustainability implies permanence, so
sustainable tourism includes optimum use of
resources
Including biological diversity; minimization of
ecological, cultural and social impacts
Maximization of benefits to conservation and
local communities
Also refers to the management structures that
are needed to achieve this.
Impacts of Tourism
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Environmental
The quality of the environment, both natural and
man-made, is essential to tourism.
But tourism's relationship with the environment is
complex. It involves many activities that can have
adverse environmental effects.
Many impacts are linked with the construction of
general infrastructure such as roads and airports,
and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels,
restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas.
Negative impacts of tourism development can
gradually destroy the environmental resources on
which it depends.
Three main impact areas: natural resources,
pollution, physical impacts
Impacts of Tourism
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Social-Cultural - effects on host communities of
direct and indirect relations with tourists, and of
interaction with the tourism industry.
For a variety of reasons, host communities often
are the weaker party in interactions with their
guests and service providers, leveraging any
influence they might have.
Tourism may bring about change in value systems
and behavior and threaten indigenous identity
Changes often occur in community structure,
family relationships, collective traditional life
styles, ceremonies and morality.
Positive impacts- supportive force for peace, foster
pride in cultural traditions and help avoid urban
relocation by creating local jobs.
Impact of Tourism
Economic- tourism industry generates
substantial economic benefits to both
host countries and tourists' home
countries
 Especially in developing countries, one of
the primary motivations for a region to
promote itself as a tourism destination is
the expected economic improvement.
 Increased employment in service sector
jobs
 As with other impacts, this massive
economic development brings along both
positive and negative consequences.
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Leakage Effects of Tourism
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For each US$ 100 spent on a vacation tour by a tourist
from a developed country, only around US$ 5 actually
stays in a developing-country destination's economy.
Two main ways that leakage occurs
Import leakage- occurs when tourists demand
standards of equipment, food, and other products that
the host country cannot supply. Especially in lessdeveloped countries, food and drinks must often be
imported, since local products are not up to the hotel's
(i.e. tourist's) standards or the country simply doesn't
have a supplying industry. Much of the income from
tourism expenditures leaves the country again to pay for
these imports.
Export leakage- Multinational corporations and large
foreign businesses have a substantial share in the import
leakage. In poor developing destinations, MNCs are the
only source of investment capital to construct tourism
infrastructure and facilities. Thus an export leakage
arises when overseas investors who finance the resorts
and hotels take their profits back to their country of
origin.
Ecotourism
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Growing concept and increasingly important in the
Third World and elsewhere
Ecotourism embraces principles of sustainable
tourism
Contributes actively to the conservation of natural
and cultural heritage
Includes local and indigenous communities in its
planning, development and operation, contributing
to their well-being,
Interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the
destination to visitor,
Lends itself better to independent travelers, as
well as to organized tours for small size groups.
Orangutan Rehabilitation
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The Bohorok Centre for ex-captive
and refugee Sumatran orangutans
was established in 1973 by two
Swiss zoologists, whose funding was
originally provided by the Frankfurt
Zoological Society (FZS) and the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
In 1980 the Centre was taken over
by the Indonesian Government.
With the recent tourist explosion at
Bohorok, the orangutan rehabilitation
program was no longer feasible. No
longer meets today's standards of
species re-introduction.
Furthermore, the area is already
over-saturated with orangutans, and
therefore not suitable for releasing
more rehabilitants.
http://www.orangutanssos.org/bohorok.html
Green Sea Turtle Protection
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Size: Adults are 3.5 to 4 feet in carapace length (76-91 cm).Weight: Adult
weigh between 300 to 400 pounds (136-180 kg).
Habitat: Mainly stay near the coastline and around islands and live in bays
and protected shores, especially in areas with seagrass beds. Rarely are they
observed in the open ocean.
Nesting: Green turtles nest at intervals of 2, 3, or more years, with wide
year-to-year fluctuations in numbers of nesting females. Nests between 3 to 5
times per season. Lays an average of 115 eggs in each nest, with the eggs
incubating for about 60 days.
The greatest threat is from the commercial harvest for eggs and food. Other
green turtle parts are used for leather and small turtles are sometimes stuffed
for curios. Incidental catch in commercial shrimp trawling is an increasing
source of mortality.