Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Bhutan
The concept of tourism development in Bhutan took place in post 1974 period during the reign of late majesty, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk in national assembly. However, tourism business begun its operation with 274 tourist in 1974 at the time of coronation of fourth king, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk and since then tourism business started growing in Bhutan. Tourism is now recognized as having considerable potential as a tool for development and as a contributor to national revenue. In other words, the Royal Government of Bhutan now recognizes that its tourism industry is second only to hydropower in terms of its potential to generate foreign exchange and provide for national sustainable
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A variety of tourist activities bring impact upon vegetation. They include the following activities and effects;
The collection of flowers, orchids and plants can result in changes in species composition.
Deliberate chopping of trees for tent poles and firewood in the cold places like Gasa, Trongsa and Lhuntse are done. People say this creates some sort of impact on vegetation if it is continued. For example, such practices have removed many younger trees from forests which alter the age structure of the plant community. This also leaves fewer trees to mature and provide shelter for the site.
Lack of proper inspection by the government in high altitude campsites like the one in Taupang campsite in Trashiyantse, the tourists are not concerned about the waste and they leave behind the waste in the area. This can result in changes in nutrient status of soils and damage ecology by blocking out air and light.
The Bhutanese tour agents are making camping program in their itinerary list. As a result of camping, it also brings impact environment. For instance, the construction of campsites in Nabji-Khorphu trial in Trongsa has involved in the removal of vegetation. The camping has similar effect to trampling and the damage extends into the surrounding area with the development of trials and picnic sites.
Within the
The development of tourism around certain key wildlife species can be problematic. Evaluate strategies which are used, around the world, to seek a working balance in the Nature-People relationship?
Tourism has taken a toll on many Native Hawaiians and is a huge human rights issue today. Most Hawaiians dislike tourism greatly due to the selfishness and greediness tourists bring to their home country. The pastor at a small rural church on the island of Kauai, Reverend Kaleo Patterson, has witnessed and dealt with numerous Hawaiians who struggle with the issues of tourism. Numerous vacation resorts that attract tourists have taken over gravesites of Hawaiians that have passed away. Due to this problem ancient Hawaiians have to partake in reburials. Tourism causes destruction to coral reefs and rivers because of mindless pollution. Reverend Patterson has protested and given public hearings in effort to acknowledge her fury on tourism. Tourism has brought an uncontrollable worldwide business that has no sympathy or thoughtfulness for the original people of Hawaii.
Tourists create pollution by everyday activities, air pollution is caused by indoor fires that are lit and the smoke is then let out into the air not only causing air pollution but damaging flora and fauna also smoke from cigarettes. Tourism creates a waste problem from grabbing lunch and creating rubbish but also dropping rubbish if you’re eating your lunch and drop your rubbish this also leads back to the problem with fauna and flora and damaging the environment. Green-house gases coming from cars, trucks and other machinery can affect the environment. There are multiple ways that waste can affect the environment on Mt Buller, but there are also many procedures and management plans in place to try and decrease the amount of waste produced
The social and cultural processes are also significantly impacted. Tourism has helped develop and keep up the unique culture of the island, it has helped revive artistic traditions, and has provided an economic justification for preserving them. But tourism has also led to importantly behavioural impacts, for example; nude sunbathing by tourist is widely disliked by the locals, as well as that lack of respect is shown by tourists in scared places such as temples. Another negative impact is the social development of Bali. There are constant conflicts between local villagers and developers who want the land for hotels and attractions like golf courses. These social impacts have led to a loss in culture and heritage. Another significant impact is the turning of Balinese culture into a commodity. The major influx of tourists has plagued Bali’s culture. Dances, ceremonies and arts and crafts are all now adapted to tourists timetables and tastes, and are mass produced to reduce cost. Also because more people are choosing to work in the tourism industry, this has meant that fewer are available doe traditional ceremonies and communal tasks, placing more pressure on traditional community organisations.
To increase the flow of foreign tourists, Thailand has been promoting the country as a sustainable tourist destination (Henkel, et al., 2006). However, the number of the arrival tourists is not good enough. Since 2006, the number of inbound tourists slightly increased from 13.82 to around 14 million people in 2009
With the benefits of having the surrounding natural environment, also comes with natural hazards which could affect the tourist facility. The occurrence of natural hazards on the facility could have catastrophic consequences environmentally and economically. Some issues include flooding and bushfires. Appendix D displays the potential of bushfires for development area. Damage to the facility would put it at great financial risk due to the cost of repair. Assessing the site location is key to avoiding this issue.
Several studies have investigated the perception of the local community on the tourism impacts and tourism development. The research by Ramkissoon and Nunkoo (2011) in Port Louis showed that favorable attitude toward the tourism industry was found to support for tourism development, with higher insights of positive tourism impacts, this means that the community shows higher support for the industry. Nejati, Mohamed & Omar (2014) found that locals in Perhentian Island have an ominously greater level of outlook towards the positive economic impacts of tourism than residents in Redang Island after comparing the two islands in Malaysia. Aside from the perceived negative environmental impacts of tourism, locals on both islands
Cutting down of trees is one environmental issue that has plagued the world for the past few decades. The reason for this is the fact that there has been an increased use of timber and an increase in population and the need for human settlement has ensured that an increased number of trees have been cut down.
Places with hard living conditions for humans are becoming popular destinations for travelers all over the world. While visiting these locations can bring some advantages for the visitors, there can be some disadvantages too.
Following that, there is degradation of natural resources through deforestation and strip-mining which reduce their jungles and fields to become wastelands. As a solution, we should regulate the environmental impact through environmental safe guard. More labour laws enforcing satisfactory working
There is also the impending problem that with the increase of tourism in Machu Picchu there will also be an increase in the crowding and congestion on the roads, footpaths, and in the narrow streets of the site. In addition, tourists also compete with residents for available services and facilities (a prime example of this is the local train service in Peru, in which many backpackers tend to use the local train service rather than the much more "luxurious" and expensive tourist train). An increase in visitors to the area will also lead to an increase in the crime in the area. Finally, a big social/community impact from tourism has been the desecration of burial sites and the removal and display of human remains from Machu Picchu to further stimulate the tourist industry, which has ultimately led to the destruction of the Indian spiritual heritage. (Barcelona Field Studies Centre S.L., Machu Picchu: Impact of Tourism)
In economic aspect, tourism can boost the economy of the developing countries by receiving tourist spending, the money received can further drive the income of different industries and sectors inside the economy, which can be explained by the Tourism Multiplier Effect (Leuterio, 2007). In fact, not only can tourism create employment in the tertiary sector, but also stimulate growth of the primary and secondary industries. To be precise, tourism in an area encourage the employment related to business supply services and building of hotels. Then, the employees of the tourism industry spend their income on other services in the local area, with increase in tax revenue at the same time. Therefore, improving the earnings of other
The Travel and Tourism industry is still one of the largest single businesses in world commerce and its importance is widely recognized. The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange. In the face of many benefits, many countries have started assigning due weight age to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Tourism is an industry that operates on a massively broad scale: it embraces activities ranging from the smallest sea-side hotel; to air-lines, multi-national hotel chains and major international tour operators. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry
In recent times, with the improvement of people’s living standards, the demand of traveling is increasingly rising. According to the UNWTO, the number of tourists traveling oversea yearly is over one billion (World Tourism Organization, 2016). Not only has this massive figure made tourism one of the key industries, it also makes up 10% of worldwide GDP and 6% of the total export turnover of the world (T. Rifai, 27 September 2015, personal communication). Tourism is a “fertile ground” for all nations in the world, especially developing countries to boost their economic growth, preserve their own proud culture and protect the environment. However, apart from these advantages, the disadvantages that it brings are undeniable. Tourism has both positive and negative effects on the economy, environment and society.
Planning and development are both extremely important factors within the tourism industry and can have both positive and negative effects on the environment, local communities and tourist destinations. “Destination planning aims to limit the negative impacts of cultural tourism upon the history and lifestyles of the local community. An understanding of sustainable tourist development allows for the development of culture without loss of its authentic identity” (Maidment. T. 2012). This statement discusses the importance of planning to avoid having any negative impacts on environments and communities. Because the effects of tourism are so severe to destinations, many natural and cultural resources have been destroyed, therefore tourism planning is vital to preserve and maintain these places for future generations.