Tourism (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Flashcards
Exam code: 0460 & 0976
1/510Still learning
Know0
Define tourism.
Was this flashcard helpful?
Cards in this collection (51)
Define tourism.
Tourism is time spent away from the home environment for leisure, business or professional reasons. It is one aspect of globalisation.
How have low-cost airlines helped tourism grow?
Airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair have led to cheaper and faster air travel, making international travel more accessible.
Give two economic factors behind the growth of tourism.
Increased disposable incomes (often both partners working, especially in emerging economies); better pay and leave benefits (paid annual leave, sub-40-hour weeks); and globalisation expanding middle-class populations.
How have technological developments boosted tourism?
Online booking platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, instant access to information via smartphones, and the social media effect of tourists sharing experiences.
In 2024, what proportion of global GDP did the tourism industry account for?
10% of global GDP, contributing $10.9 trillion to the global economy and supporting 357 million jobs worldwide.
Who proposed the Butler model, and in what year?
Richard W. Butler proposed it in 1980.
Name the first three stages of the Butler model, in order.
1. Exploration (small numbers of adventurous tourists), 2. Involvement (locals offer basic services), 3. Development (larger companies invest and tourist numbers rise rapidly).
What happens during the stagnation stage of the Butler model?
Visitor numbers peak, the environment and local culture may suffer, and the resort loses appeal due to overcrowding and loss of authenticity.
What are the three possible outcomes after stagnation in the Butler model?
Rejuvenation (reinventing itself, e.g. eco-tourism/heritage tourism), continued stagnation (minimum investment, fails to adapt), or decline (tourists leave, businesses close, area deteriorates).
Give two limitations of the Butler model.
It is simple — real development rarely follows clear stages; it ignores global shocks like pandemics and terrorism; and external factors such as climate change and economic crises are poorly represented.
During the ______ stage of the Butler model, tourism becomes the dominant economic activity and the destination gains a strong reputation, but negative impacts such as pollution and congestion begin to emerge.
During the consolidation stage of the Butler model, tourism becomes the dominant economic activity and the destination gains a strong reputation, but negative impacts such as pollution and congestion begin to emerge.
True or False?
The Butler model can be applied to a wide range of different destinations.
True.
A strength of the Butler model is that it is flexible and can be applied to a wide range of destinations, offering a clear visual representation of how tourism evolves.
True or False?
Europe has the greatest number of tourist arrivals, with France as the top destination.
True.
Europe remains the region with the greatest number of tourist arrivals, and France is the top destination.
What does the Butler model describe?
The life cycle of tourist resorts — how tourism changes over time and how destinations can handle their growth.
Define the multiplier effect in tourism.
When tourists spend money, it circulates in the local economy and helps suppliers and service providers, generating further income and jobs.
How do foreign exchange earnings from tourism benefit a country?
International tourists spend on travel, accommodation and food, which helps stabilise the local currency, finance imports, and invest in building new infrastructure.
Give two social benefits of tourism.
Cultural exchange (building understanding between cultures), preservation of culture (traditional crafts, festivals, heritage), improved services (healthcare, education), and greater social mobility.
How can tourism benefit the environment?
Through conservation funding (entrance fees, ecotourism), awareness raising, restoration projects, and wildlife protection — human presence deters poaching and illegal activity in protected areas.
Name two countries where tourism significantly boosts GDP.
The Maldives and Thailand.
Define economic leakage in tourism.
Where profits flow to foreign-owned companies instead of helping the local economy.
Define acculturation as a problem of tourism.
Where culture becomes a product — traditions change or are performed to satisfy tourists, causing a loss of local language and traditional values.
Give two economic problems caused by tourism.
Seasonal jobs causing insecurity and fluctuating income; low wages with few advancement chances; economic leakages; and over-reliance, leaving economies vulnerable to shocks like pandemics.
How can tourism cause social tensions among local residents?
Locals may feel resentment if benefits are not shared fairly — e.g. loss of access to local sites like beaches and forests — and inflation can raise land, housing and goods prices.
Give two environmental problems caused by tourism.
Environmental degradation (footpath erosion, coral reef damage, deforestation), pollution (waste, sewage, air), resource pressure (water/energy in fragile areas), and a high carbon footprint from air travel.
______ can cause the prices of land, housing and goods to rise, making life harder for local residents in tourist areas.
Inflation can cause the prices of land, housing and goods to rise, making life harder for local residents in tourist areas.
True or False?
Tourism only ever damages culture and never helps to preserve it.
False.
Tourism can preserve culture by encouraging the preservation of traditional crafts, festivals and heritage sites, although acculturation can also damage local traditions.
Define sustainable tourism.
Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities (WTO definition).
What are the three scales at which strategies manage tourism sustainably?
International (global organisations/cooperation), national (governments/regional authorities), and individual/local (communities, businesses and tourists).
Give two international strategies for sustainable tourism.
UNESCO World Heritage Site designation (funding and guidance), international guidelines like the WTO Global Code of Ethics, and global eco-certification schemes such as Green Globe and EarthCheck.
What is Bhutan's tourism policy an example of?
A national visitor quota strategy — its 'High Value, Low Impact' policy limits tourist numbers to avoid overcrowding.
How does Venice plan to use tourism taxation sustainably?
Venice plans to charge an entrance fee to day-trippers, using tourist taxes to fund local conservation and infrastructure.
Define community-based tourism.
Where locals run small-scale enterprises, keeping income within the community — for example, homestay schemes in Nepal.
Give two individual/local strategies for sustainable tourism.
Eco-friendly accommodation (solar power, rainwater harvesting), community-based tourism, tourist education (codes of conduct, carbon offsetting, flying less), and promoting off-season tourism.
Give two limitations of international sustainable tourism strategies.
They are voluntary so enforcement is weak, adoption is small-scale (many operators don't participate), and certification costs are high for small businesses.
What are the strengths of national sustainable tourism strategies?
They are legally enforceable, have large-scale impact (governments coordinate wide campaigns), and generate funding for local communities and conservation.
Give one strength of individual/local strategies.
Empowers local people and can preserve cultural identity.
National parks with restricted development and ______ zones around fragile sites help protect sensitive areas from tourism.
National parks with restricted development and buffer zones around fragile sites help protect sensitive areas from tourism.
True or False?
National sustainable tourism strategies are guaranteed to last because political will never changes.
False.
Political will can fluctuate — new governments may reverse policies — and enforcement in remote areas is challenging, with resistance from businesses reliant on mass tourism.
Give one limitation of individual/local strategies.
Small scale — hard to influence mass tourism trends, and success depends on tourist willingness to engage.
Where are the Maldives located, and what is their physical make-up?
An archipelago of around 1,192 coral islands grouped in 26 atolls, in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka.
Why is the Maldives especially vulnerable to rising sea levels?
It is the lowest country in the world, with an average ground level of just 1.5 metres above sea level.
Maldivian tourism began in ______ with the opening of the first resort, Kurumba Village.
Maldivian tourism began in 1972 with the opening of the first resort, Kurumba Village.
How many international visitors arrived in the Maldives in 2023?
Over 1.8 million international visitors.
What share of the Maldives' GDP does tourism contribute, and how many people does it employ?
Around 28% of GDP, generating over 60% of foreign exchange earnings, and employing about 60,000 Maldivians — roughly one third of the workforce.
State two environmental benefits of tourism in the Maldives.
It has raised awareness of marine conservation, and many resorts invest in reef restoration and waste management initiatives.
True or False?
The Maldives' reliance on tourism makes its economy highly vulnerable to global shocks.
True.
Over-reliance on a single industry left it exposed — the COVID-19 pandemic caused an 80% drop in tourist arrivals in 2020.
Define economic leakage.
Economic leakage is when profits leave the country rather than benefiting it — in the Maldives many resorts are foreign-owned, so much revenue flows overseas.
Give three ways tourism damages the Maldives' coral reefs.
Anchoring of tourist boats; physical damage from divers and snorkellers; and coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures.
What tourism model does the Visit Maldives Corporation promote?
A 'high-value, low-impact' tourism model.
The eco-resort ______ uses solar power and runs on-site marine conservation programmes.
The eco-resort Six Senses Laamu uses solar power and runs on-site marine conservation programmes.
In the Butler Model, which stage did the Maldives enter in the 2000s, and why?
Consolidation — mass tourism increased, tourist numbers passed 1 million per year, luxury resorts dominated, and environmental concerns such as reef damage rose.
Sign up to unlock flashcards
or