Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers

Some Notes on the Negative Impacts of International Tourism LARY MICHAEL DlLSAVER0 INTERNATIONAL TOURISM is one of the largest and most widespread industries in the world today, ranking second only to petroleum as a commodity in world trade. It is also a multi-billion dollar industry that employs millions of people and creates profound changes wherever it is developed. With the recent relaxation of travel barriers to China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam, very few regions in the world are left unpenetrated by international tourists, their money, ideas, and perceived necessities. The attitude of tourism personnel, most government officials, and some scholars is one of enthusiastic support for tourism development. They cite the potential rapid economic gains and minimal resource and infrastructural needs of tourism. In addition, tourism is perceived as an activity with little negative environmental or cultural impact. A growing body of literature from the social sciences disputes these claims. The negative effects of international tourism in light of this recent literature are examined in this paper, and some tentative improvements are suggested. Because of the diversity of the effects of tourism, the discussion is divided into three categories — environmental, economic, and sociocultural . "Lary Michael Dilsaver is Instructor of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803. 109 110ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS Environmental Effects Two primary environmental arguments favor the development of tourism. These are: (1) tourism development encourages better sanitation and health standards, and (2) tourism , by providing a source of income based on the natural or historic landscape, aids in the conservation of those landscapes. Both of these arguments are undeniably powerful and have validity. There are, however, conditions of environmental damage in which tourism emerges as a contributory industry, or, in some cases, as the primary causal factor. In terms of contributory damage, intensive development by the international tourist industry has been shown to be a major factor in water and air pollution, the accumulation of litter, deforestation, destruction of pastures and other agricultural land, and the destruction of coastal features such as sand dunes and beaches. An example of some of these effects is provided by Nepal, where more than 300 mountaineering expeditions since 1949 have caused widespread deforestation, pasture destruction , and the serious accumulation of litter on the slopes of Mt. Everest and other peaks.1 In addition to such contributory problems, tourism is the direct cause of a number of environmental problems. These include overcrowded seasonal populations in tourist areas, a loss of serenity and a decrease in the quality of life, noise pollution, seasonal urbanization in unsuitable ecological areas such as coastlines, serious visual landscape blight, and the creation, for tourist satisfaction, of artificial conditions that impede normal ecological dynamism. For example, artificially full waterholes near the game park lodges in East Africa have succeeded in keeping the elephants in the area for tourist photography. Unfortunately, the unnaturally permanent elephant population has destroyed vegetation in the area and now faces starvation or artificial feeding. 1E. Sochor, "No Litter on Everest," Geographical Magazine, Vol. 48, No. 7 (1976), p. 388. YEARBOOK · VOLUME 41 · 1979111 Economic Effects The strongest and most common assertions for the development of international tourism are economic. Those frequently proposed are: (l) favorable foreign exchange and balance of payments result, (2) taxation revenue is available, (3) infrastructural improvements are made that help provide for more balanced development, and (4) there is direct aid to local and national economies by creation of employment, tourist purchases of local products, and a multiplier effect based on money from tourists and the new work force. These claims are often valid and, in some instances, there are substantial economic benefits to host country nationals, including the poor. It is important, however, to review the results of actual tourist ventures and compare them with these favorable assertions. For example, when considering the claim of favorable foreign exchange, it has been shown that as much as 77 percent of the tourism money is returned to the touristsending countries.2 This return is caused by foreign investment in the tourism developments and by the necessity for Third World countries to import expensive goods and services to supply tourists. Of the money that remains in the...