Impacts of the Growth of Global Tourism (Edexcel IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Global tourism

• Tourism is one aspect of globalisation

  • It is defined as time spent away from the home environment for leisure, business or professional reasons

• Over the last 50 years, mass tourism has expanded into a major global industry, which is still growing 

• An estimated 900 million people become international tourists every year (before the Covid pandemic)

• The main reasons for the rise in tourism is due to:

  • improved pay and leave allowances - most workers now work less than 40 hours a week and have paid annual leave

  • decrease in the relative cost of holidays

  • greater range of destinations

  • increased business travel due to globalisation

  • improved disposable incomes - normally both partners work, and this increases incoming money to the household

  • it is easier than ever to cross borders with agreements between countries

  • transport is faster and cheaper than in the past

  • communication - internet, social media etc. bring awareness of foreign destinations, booking of last-minute holidays etc. 

Social impacts

• Mass tourism has both positive and negative impacts on people, the economy and the environment

Positive social impacts of global tourism

• It can help revive local skills and handicrafts

• Cultural tourism values people's heritage

• Tourism brings people together from all over the world

• It can spread the range of social facilities for local people

• Major international events (Olympics) can have a positive effect locally and nationally - improved infrastructure etc.

• Develops foreign language skills 

• Ancient sites are brought to global attention helping to preserve historical legacies

• It might encourage migration to major tourist-generating countries

Negative social impacts of global tourism

• Loss of locally owned land

• Tourist behaviour can offend local people (drinking etc.)

• Tourist centres encourage crime, prostitution etc. 

• Displacement of people

• Abuse of human rights

• Can erode local language and traditional values

• Loss of access to local sites - beaches, forests etc

• Visitor congestion at key locations

Economic impacts

• Tourism has a large economic impact on a country - multiplier effect

• Tourism is a service industry which indirectly impacts all other industries

  • Primary - agriculture and providing food or mining of materials to build hotels

  • Secondary - for manufacturing of goods - chairs, beds, towels, gifts etc.

  • Quaternary - research and development to improve facilities for tourists or management etc.

  • Tertiary - staff for hotels, planes, buses, restaurants, lifeguards etc.

Positive economic impacts of global tourism

• Brings money into the country's economy

• Creates jobs for local people

• Brings new infrastructure to the region

• Provides tax revenues

• Provides employment to poorer rural areas

• Can create openings for small businesses and support jobs in the informal sector

Negative economic impacts of global tourism

• Money often goes to big businesses and not locally

• Often low-paid, menial, seasonal work

• Mass tourism causes congestion, pollution affects local businesses

• Economic leakages are high

• Money borrowed to invest in tourism can increase national debt

• Large holiday resorts encourage tourists to spend most of their money in the hotel complexes, excluding the wider community

Environmental impacts

• Increasing tourism has led to a range of environmental impacts

Positive environmental impacts of global tourism

• Can increase awareness of nature conservation areas

• Money from tourism can be used to protect and repair the environment - better water supplies 

• Tourism may help preserve key areas or species and prevent illegal trade and exploitation of nature

• Tourism helps fund conservation activities, therefore improving sustainable practices and environmental legislation - national parks

Negative environmental impacts of global tourism

• The local environment can be bulldozed and concreted over 

• Tourism creates local pollution issues - waste, littering 

• Tourist activity can disturb or damage habitats and wildlife- water skiing damaging coral reefs, ivory poaching

• Increased greenhouse gas emissions from flights