ECOTOURISM

Unit-2
Domestic and International
tourism
Satish Kumar. J M.Sc, M.Tech, N.E.T,( Ph.D)
Recipient of 5 gold medals and cash award, 1st Rank holder in M.Sc,
Distinction in M.Tech, Two times N.E.T qualifed and Author
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Environmental Sciences
JSS, Academy of Higher Research and Education
Mysore. Ph-9945390459
 Unit II: Domestic and International tourism: Domestic
tourism: features, pattern of growth, profile. International
tourism: Generating and Destination regions. Pattern of
growth and Profile. Tourism Impacts: Positive and
Negative Impacts of Tourism: Socio - cultural, Economic,
Environmental and Political. Factors affecting ecotourism
impacts, Ecotourism as a tool for sustainable development.
 Domestic tourism can be described as tourism involving
residents of one country traveling within their own
country. It does not involve the crossing of international
borders at entry points.
 As early recorded history provides a glimpse into ancient
tourism activities, domestic tourism is in fact the first form
of tourism practiced.
 It has been a well-established practice, happening in every
country or region in the world. A strong relationship
among tourism and visiting friends and relatives and
religious pilgrimage has been found in countries with a
long history of domestic tourism
 According to the UNWTO, a person must be away from
their usual place of residence (but still in their home
country) for at least one night to qualify as a domestic
tourist.
 According to a recent report published by the World
Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), domestic tourism
accounts for 73% of total Travel and Tourism spending
globally in 2018; thus it is a key driver of the tourism
sector.
 Countries rely on domestic tourism as a tool to reduce
poverty, improve infrastructure, generate employment
and most importantly to drive economic growth.
 The activities of domestic tourists create economic
importance as the money spent on domestic tourism
feeds back into that particular country’s economy;
providing itself with a more viable and prosperous
economy.
 Features of Domestic tourism
ITS CHARACTERISTICS, especially when compared to international
tourism, it is possible to start with three fundamental observations:
First characteristics : In contrast to international tourists,
domestic tourists know the destination, its language, its
customs, its laws, its climate, its cultural context. This has at least
two consequences Out of the four main motivations of tourists
(discovery, encountering others, experiencing something unique,
resting) the last two are certainly more prominent among domestic
tourists
 Second characteristic: domestic destinations are nearer . Visits
are more frequent and there are more repeat stays,
notably with family and especially in the rural region of
provenance of many urban residents . Land transport is
predominantly used: 88% compared to 51% for international
tourism .
 Third characteristic: as the destination is nearer and land
transport is used more, the cost of trips is lower. Given that
the barrier represented by trip cost is brought down,
domestic travellers seek the best price-quality ratio, or
often the lowest possible price, in all segments of the
tourism value chain: accommodation, food services, tourism
activities, shopping, etc...
 They therefore seek alternative, non-hotel
accommodations because, among other things, they are
going to return several times to the destination and, while
there, they prepare subsequent stays by informing themselves
about the local accommodation offerings. last, but not least
importantly, they stay for longer periods.
 Some other features of domestic tourism are as follows:
 Domestic tourism is more comfortable then international
tourism
 No problem of language
 The style of driving, dinning etc are recognizable
 We can make our own timetable while in international
tourism we need to adjust in other’s timetable
 No problem of foreign exchange
 Growth of Domestic tourist
 Tourism in India has grown substantially since the beginning of 1990’s.
The sound financial health and spare time of tourists from rich
countries for holidaying, sight seeing, business, meetings etc. have led
to the growth of the tourism industry.
 Good transport, accessibility, communication, accommodation etc are
main reasons for increasing travel and tourism in recent decades.
 After 1980’s tourism activity gained momentum in India. In 1990, South
Asia had recorded high growth in tourist arrival and India is a major
tourist destination among a the South Asian nations.
 It captures more than half of the tourist arrivals and about 75% of the
tourist receipts of South Asia.
 There are a number of criteria to measure the tourism index of any
country.
 Out of them, two are very important.
 The first one is International Tourist Arrival and second is tourism
receipts. We can understand the growth of tourism in India by grouping
the tourists into two categories (a) foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) and
(b) domestic tourist arrivals (DTAs).
 Growth of Domestic tourist
 India has a good history of travel and tourism activities. People
of different sections of society visit various tourist places of the
country.
 The domestic tourism enhanced due to a number of reasons.
The significant reasons include increase in income levels,
purchasing power and emergence of a dynamic middle class.
 Total domestic tourist visiting the different states were 159.88
millions in 1997.
 It rose to 526.70 millions in 2007. It is an increase of 366.88
million in a span of ten years. It increased to 1431.97 million in
2015.
 It is a growth rate of 795.65% in domestic tourist during 1997 -
2015.
 It works out to be 41.88% increase per year.
 There has been a continuous increase in domestic tourist visits.
The details of the same can be seen from the graph
 Tourism profile of India
 The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism
generated ₹16.91 lakh crore (US$220 billion) or 9.2% of India's
GDP in 2018 and supported 42.673 million jobs, 8.1% of its total
employment.
 The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to
₹32.05 lakh crore (US$430 billion) by 2028 (9.9% of GDP).
 In October 2015, India's medical tourism sector was estimated
to be worth US$3 billion, and it is projected to grow to US$ 7–8
billion by 2020.
 In 2014, 1,84,298 foreign patients travelled to India to seek
medical treatment.
 Over 17.9 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2019
compared to 17.4 million in 2018, representing a growth of
3.5%.
 This makes India the 22th most visited nation in the world
and 8th in Asia and Pacific .
 Domestic tourist visits to all states and union territories
numbered 1,036.35 million in 2012, an increase of 16.5%
from 2011. In 2014, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar
Pradesh were the most popular states for tourists.
 Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra and Jaipur were the five
most visited cities of India by foreign tourists during the
year 2015.
 Worldwide, Delhi is ranked 28th by the number of foreign
tourist arrivals, while Mumbai is ranked 30th, Chennai 43rd,
Agra 45th, Jaipur 52nd and Kolkata 90th.
 The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 ranked India 35th
out of 140 countries overall.
 India improved its ranking by 6 places over the 2017 report which was
the greatest improvement among the top 25% of countries ranked.
 The report ranks the price competitiveness of India's tourism sector
13th out of 140 countries.
 It mentions that India has quite good air transport infrastructure
(ranked 33rd), particularly given the country's stage of development,
and reasonable ground and port infrastructure (ranked 28th).
 The country also scores high on natural resources (ranked 14th), and
cultural resources and business travel (ranked 8th). However, some
other aspects of its tourism infrastructure remain somewhat
underdeveloped. The nation has many hotel rooms per capita by
international comparison and low ATM penetration.
 The World Tourism Organization reported that India's receipts from
tourism during 2012 ranked 16th in the world, and 7th among Asian and
Pacific countries.
 Some facts of Domestic tourism in India
 India is home to some of the most beautiful natural and cultural
heritage sites in the world, not only making it a popular destination
for international tourists, but also for domestic tourists.

 According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, domestic

spending in India is at 87.2%, compared to foreign spending at 12.8%.
Therefore, domestic tourism in India contributes to 9.4% of its
overall GDP.
 According to Treebo the top 7 visited states by domestic tourists
are;
 Tamilnadu
 Uttar Pradesh
 Madhya Pradesh
 Andhra Pradesh
 Karnataka
 Maharashtra
 Rajasthan
 International Tourism
 When people visit a foreign country, it is referred to
as International Tourism. In order to travel to a
foreign country, one needs a valid passport, visa,
health documents, foreign exchange, etc
 International tourism
Generating and Destination regions
 In tourism the geographic component refers to the
geographical area involved in the tourism process.
 Tourists depart from a geographical area – the place of origin,
utilize a geographical route and reach a geographical area – the
place of arrival or destination of visit.
 Similarly, they reach their area of origin after completion of the
trip taking a complete cycle of the geographical components.
Thus, there are three geographical areas involved in the conduct
of tourism.
 The geographic components comprise of the following three
aspects:
 1. Tourist Generating Region(TGR)
 2. Travel Route Region(TRR) and
 3. Tourist Destination Region(TDR)
 Tourism Generating Regions (TGR). :Tourism Generating Region refers to the place
where the tourist starts and ends his tour.
 It is the location of permanent residence from where he departs for tour and reaches
after completion of trip.
 It is also referred to the source region of journey as well as the geographical area of
demand. The generating region is the location of the basic market of the tourist
industry,
 The source of potential tourism demand. Accordingly the major marketing functions
of the tourist industry are conducted there: promotion, advertising, wholesaling, and
retailing.
 According to Dann (1977), it is the geographical setting pertaining to the motivational
and behavioral pattern termed as “Push” factors. ‘Push’ factors are the intangible
wishes or desires arising in the minds of a person.
 These are influenced by the social, psychological, and economic forces generated
from within the person.
 The aspects like environment, exploration, self-evaluation, relaxation, prestige,
family relations, and social interaction are found within the minds of the people of the
tourist-generating region.
 These pertain to the psychological push factors. Influence of family, reference groups,
social classes, culture, and sub-cultures are the factors pertaining to the social push
factors.
 The demographic aspects like age, sex, educational qualification, income and marital
status also contribute to the push factors.
 The economic push factors are the disposable income added with the available leisure
time joint together that play vital role in the tourist-generating region.
 Apart from the above mentioned factors in the tourist generating region, the aspects
like ticketing services, tour operators, travel agents and marketing and promotional
activities present in the departure area play a major role as push components.
 Transit Route Region (TRR). :Transit route refers to the path throughout
the region across which the tourist travels to reach his or her destination.
 It is the path that links the tourist generating regions and the tourist
destination regions, along which the tourists travel.
 When the tourists undertake a long haul, travel it is necessary to take a
temporary stoppage called a transit route.
 The transit route includes stopover points, which might be used for
convenience of the tourist or due to the presence of various attractions
throughout the travel route that can be visited by the tourists.
 The transit route enables the tourists to change flight or stop for some
time for refuelling.
 The transit route might differ from the start of the travel from the
generating region and ending of the travel from the destination region.
 The transit route may be crossed with the different types of
transportation like air transport or rail transport or water transport or
road transport or a combination of all these types of transports according
to the necessity of the tourist.
 Transit routes are a vital element in the system. Their efficiency and
characteristics influence the quality of access to particular destinations
and accordingly they influence the size and direction of tourist flows.
 Thus, the transit rout region is a vital component in the tourism system.
 Tourist Destination Region (TDR):Tourist Destination Region refers to the
destination, which the tourists prefer to visit during their travel.
 It is the location, which attracts tourists for their temporary stay. The
destination region is the core component of tourism, as it is the region,
which the tourist chooses to visit, and which the core element of tourism is
based on.
 It is where the most significant and dramatic aspects occur. It is also the
location of many parts of the tourist business: accommodation
establishments, services, entertainment and recreational facilities
 It is the supply side of the tourism products that pull the tourists. This
component includes the natural attractions, cultural attraction, and various
entertainment factors, accommodation, facilities, services, amenities, safety
and security available in the destination of visit that ultimately pull the
tourists.
 The new age tourists mostly demand now-a-days special interest tourism
products(ex- adventure) available in the destination region.
 The qualitative aspects that are absent or lacking in the tourist-generating
region and available in the tourist destination region form as the basic
attractions that pull the tourists towards TDR.
 The location has the attributes as anticipated by the tourists that retains
loyal tourists from the generating regions
 Diagram explaining the connection between the TGR
and TDR
 International Tourism growth and
profile
 International tourism is tourism that crosses national
borders. Globalization has made tourism a popular global leisure activity.
The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to
and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than
one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".
 The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 500,000
people are in flight at any one time.
 Modern aviation has made it possible to travel long distances quickly.
 In 2010, international tourism reached US$919B, growing 6.5% over 2009,
corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.7%.
 In 2010, there were over 940 million international tourist arrivals
worldwide. By 2016 that number had risen to 1,235 million, producing 1,220
billion USD in destination spending.
 The COVID-19 crisis had significant negative effects on international
tourism significantly slowing the overall increasing trend.
 International tourism has significant impacts on the environment,
exacerbated in part by the problems created by air travel but also by other
issues, including wealthy tourists bringing lifestyles that stress local
infrastructure, water and trash systems among others.
Ten destinations as the most visited in terms of the number of international
travelers in 2019
The top ten tourism earners in 2018
The ten biggest spenders on international tourism for the year
2018
 TOURISM EARNINGS
 Tourism is a smokeless industry with a unique quality of earning foreign exchange. It continues to play an
important role, as earning foreign exchange helps to maintain balance of trade. When a tourist spends
some money to get tourist services and facilities, it is called tourist receipt. Before embarking on their
destination they exchange local currency into the US dollar, Euro, UK sterling pound, Japanese yen,
Australian or Singapore dollar etc. After arriving in the destination country they exchange the doller etc.
for the local currency.
 Tamil Nadu 23.3%
 Rajasthan 2.5%
 Uttar Pradesh 14.3%
 Andhra Pradesh 8.4%
 Karnataka 8.4%
 Maharashtra 7.2%
 Telengana 6.6%
 Madhya Pradesh 5.4%
 West Bengal 4.9%
 Gujarat 2.5%
 In 2011, Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from the tourism were US$ 16.56billion as compared to US$ 14.19
billion in 2010, getting an annual growth of 16.7%. Further Foreign Exchange earnings increased to $1.662
billion in the month of March, 2015 as compared to $1.674 billion in the month of March in 2014. The growth
rate of FEEs touched 0.7%.
 The share of India in the world tourism receipts was 0.64% in 1997 and 0.72% 2002 which has been
increasing steadily since 2002, and has reached 1.61%during 2011.
 The foreign exchange earnings during January - April 2013 was US $ 6.878 billion and during the same
period in 2012 it was US $ 6.145 billion. It is an increase of US $ 0.603 billion, it works out to be a growth of
9.61% in a span of four months. According to a market survey research, Indian tourism foreign exchange
earning is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 7.9% during 2010-2015.
 Impacts of Tourism

• Tourism is considered as an industry.

• This industry involves the movement of people from one place to
another. The movement of people requires infrastructure related with
transport. Moving to another place, in turn, requires the
accommodation for the people, which further leads to foods and drinks
for them.
• Stay at a place leads to the interaction with the people.
• All these are generating job opportunity and economic activities.
Interaction with local people is further associated with intermingling of
the cultures of different origins.
• Consumption pattern of tourists is different from the local people.
Waste generation and disposal of the same is a great challenge.
• In other words, the impact of tourism could be classified as:
• Economic impacts
• Socio-cultural impacts
• Political impacts
• Environmental impacts
• ECONOMIC IMPACTS
• The importance of the economics of this sector could be judged by the number of
people involved in it as well the income generated.
• Directly or indirectly, large number of people are involved in the tourism sector. It
includes areas like transportation, accommodation, food, ticketing, guiding, boating,
rafting, trekking, maintenance of the tourist sites etc. Host provides all required
services and facilities to the guests.
• The guest pays for all these services. Hence, the tourism generates considerable
benefits for the people of the origin place of the tourist as well as people on
destinations.
• By developing the infrastructures in various tourism related activities enables. better
movement facilities from one place to another for both incoming or outgoing tourists.
• One of the primary motives for developing a country like ours is to promote tourism
destinations for foreign tourists.
• It helps to get the foreign exchange. A good amount of foreign reserve helps to
maintain a country’s balance of trade.
• Apart from the balance of trade in the country, it also generates employment
opportunities for the unemployed youth.
• In this way they get their livelihood, and the income is generated for their survival and
well being. But tourism is not all the time very good for the economy; it has a negative
impact as well.
Positive Economic Impacts of Tourism

There are many positive impacts on the economy of the local area of destination of the
tourist particularly in the less economically developed countries or developing countries due to tourism.
Some of them are:
• Expenditure incurred for the purpose of encouraging tourism generates income in the host
countries. This in turn increases the growth in the other allied economic sectors.
• As mentioned, attracting foreign tourists to a host country fetches foreign currency. This is a very
good sign of having good international trading capacity.
• Government of a host country generates the revenue as taxes on the income from tourism
employment, business, and entry fee at various tourist sites/monuments also through toll taxes etc.
• Many items needed by the tourists are imported from other countries. When Government levies
import duty, it gets financial benefits.
• Quickly growing national and international tourism has created significant employment
opportunities. It has piloted better economic status of the people involved in tourism, directly or
indirectly through hotels, restaurants, guides, nightclubs, taxies, local crafts, paintings, local cultural
products etc.
• Tourism motivates the government to invest more on many types of infrastructures leading to
better facilities for tourists as well as for the local people.
• Tourism also promotes local people by giving opportunities to get the livelihood in informal sectors
like street vendors, rickshaw pullers, tea/coffee stalls, magazine corners, shops with packed food
items etc.
• Employment in Informal sector pumps the money into the local economy. It has rippling effects by
investing and generating more income simultaneously for those people.
Negative Economic Impacts of Tourism

There are many negative impacts on the economy of destination of the

tourist particularly in the less economically developed countries (LEDC)
or developing countries due to tourism. Some of them are:
• There are many hidden costs of tourism which have an adverse
effects on economy on the destination countries. Most of the time,
richer countries are better profited than the poor countries.
• Many consumable products like food and drinks must be imported
by host countries which are poor or developing. This is because local
products are of inferior quality. Thus, the profits go to the developed
countries from where they are imported
• In all-inclusive package tours, almost two-third of the expenditure
goes to the airline, hotels and other international companies and
not to local businesses or workers.
• In all-inclusive package tours, tourists generally remain for their
entire stay at the same cruise ship or resort, which provides
everything they need. There is no option left for making profit to the
local economy.
• In poor and developing destinations, the money is used to develop
the infrastructures for tourism by government. But the profit is
exported to other developed countries when overseas investors
finance resorts and hotels.
• More and more demand for basic services and goods by the
tourists lead to the price hike in the destination nation. It
negatively affects local people whose income does not
increase in that proportion.
• Development of tourism in destination nation increases the
value of services and land. Thus, basic needs of the people of
that place becomes very difficult to meet.
• Many countries do not support tourism because of the
seasonality or harsh climatic conditions. During the tourist
season, the local people get some employment opportunity,
but there is no guarantee that they would get the same in the
next season. Therefore, they are insecure in getting their
livelihood.
• People are displaced to construct airports, resorts, hotels,
nature reserves, historical and other attraction sites, and
other tourism development projects.
SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS
• Society is a community or broad grouping of people living in a certain area that has
common traditions, institutions, activities and interests. In fact, society is a system of
relationship of people who share some sense of common identity. It may be small like a
family/ locality or large as whole of the nation. Culture is the practices of that society which
binds people of the society together. It includes manners, morals, beliefs, behaviour, values
and norms
• A good manner is socially acceptable way of relationship. It includes respect, care and
consideration for others.
• Morality is a set of rules, principles and duties applicable to a group of people or a society
which is generally independent of religion.
• Belief is the foundation of attitude. Attitude determines the outlook and thinking process
of an individual and the society.
• Behavior is the way in which an individual or a member of the society behaves or acts. It is
viewed with reference to phenomena, incident or an action. It is, therefore, a response of
the member.
• Norms are the formal rules of the society. It regulates the members of the community,
group or society in maintaining harmony.
• Values are those ideals that a society holds above all, like honesty, respect, faithfulness.
These values are the building blocks of norms. These are certain basic rules of social
interaction and conduct of the people of the society. When more and more people come
from far flung places and interact with local residents of any area, the social and cultural
impacts are bound to take place. Due to interaction, changes are observed in altering value
system, behavior, including losing one's indigenous identity. Deviations are seen in
community structure, family relationships, collective traditional lifestyle, ceremonies and
morality. Apart from this, some positive impacts are also observed. They are as follows:
• Positive Socio-Cultural Impacts
There are positive social-cultural impacts of tourism also particularly at the destination places.
Some of them are:
• Tourism provides an appropriate opportunity to get acquainted with people of many
cultural groups from national and international origins.
• Tourism has a component of education. Through education tourism promotes
understanding between peoples of two or more cultural groups together. It offers cultural
exchange between hosts and guests.
• Because of cultural exchange, people develop mutual sympathy and understanding about
each other and thus it reduces their prejudices.
• Finally, sympathy and understanding could lead to decrease tension between the two
communities/nations. In this way, peace and good relationship would prevail.
• Tourism supports the development of community facilities and services. These facilities
and services are also used by local people, thus leading to better living condition.
• Tourism creates awareness about the importance and value of natural, cultural,
archaeological or historical sites. It stimulates a feeling of pride in local and national
heritage. This leads to the consciousness of them.
• Tourists are interested in buying many arts and crafts of a particular area/nation as a
souvenir to take back with them. Monetary gain to the residents through sale of souvenirs
helps keep these arts and crafts alive for ever.
• Festivals organized in certain parts of the year are very enthusiastically observed by
tourists. It encourages people to keep the local culture alive even if the local youth are well
educated and have broader look and understanding.
Negative Socio-Cultural Impacts
There are many negative social-cultural impact of tourism particularly at the destination places.
Important among them are:
• It reduces the bonding of family structure and promotes nuclear family norms.
• It encourages urbanisation émigration. Friction and resentment with tourists happens due
to overcrowding and lack of recreational facilities for the local people.
• Drug abuse and prostitution are on rise at the certain tourist places.
• Commercial sexual exploitation of children and young women has increase with the
growing tourism industry in many parts of the world.
• Children are trafficked into brothel houses and sold into sex slavery market. Misbehavior
and rape of foreign tourists hampers tourism.
• The tourists are welcomed in traditional style at certain places and hotels/ airports.
Sometimes, it leads to commercialisation of the traditional welcome and hospitality norms,
making a mockery. Intermingling with the people of various cultural groups leads to loss of
the culture of the destination area. Later on, it leads to crisis of cultural identity.
• Tourists are well off in comparison to the local unskilled people. Thus, it leads to the greed
of the local people to extort money and equipment of the tourists. Greed of this kind leads
to crime committed by the local people.
• Moral conduct of the local people is deteriorating particularly when local youth try to
imitate foreigners. They try to adopt the habits of tourists by indulging in smoking, drinking
and gambling etc.
• Violation and breaking of local norms and customs by foreign tourists lead to the conflict
between host and guest. Erosion of local language and dialect in terms of the purity and
mixture of the language is on rise.
• Cultural clashes are taking place because of the differences in
cultures, ethnicity, religion, values, behaviour, life-style, and
level of prosperity.
• Many tourists come from different societies with varying life-
style. They seek pleasure of every kind, spend more money
and sometime behave very arrogantly which may not be
acceptable even in their own society from where they are
coming.
• There is a growing distinction between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’
especially in economically less developed countries. It creates
socio-cultural tensions.
• Due to carelessness and ignorance, tourists often fail to
respect local customs and moral values. This causes irritation
among local people.
 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
• Environment is the total surroundings or conditions in which a
person, animal or plant lives or interacts. A person’s environment is
made up of all that is, directly or indirectly associated with the living
conditions. It includes houses, buildings, fellow persons, animals,
plants, land, water, temperature, light, air, and animals not only exist
in the surroundings but also interact with each other.
• Such interactions also impact significantly depending upon the
dynamism of interaction.
• Tourism brings huge number of people to an area continuously who
have diverse attitudes. Huge number of people arriving at those
locations poses intense pressure on various resources.
• More and more infrastructures are created to accommodate them
due to which great changes in the landscape of the area are made.
Some of the environmental improvements are also observed to
attract more and more tourists. Therefore, tourism helps in
preserving the environment.
• Let us see those negative and positive impacts on the environment
of a destination.
• Positive Environmental Impacts
• There are many positive environmental impacts of tourism particularly at the destination
places. Important among them are:
• Since large numbers of tourists are arriving and income is generated from the tourists,
more and more environmental consciousness is expected.
• Sometimes, foreign, tourists give a good idea about minimizing stress on environment and
promote sustainable tourism.
• Fund raised is used to create more resources and beautification of the area.
• Cleanliness drive is taken up to attract more and more tourists.
• Greater environmental protective measures are adopted.
• Ecological balance maintenance becomes an important objective to preserve the
ecosystem.
• Commercialisation of various activities is there but defensive steps are adopted to avoid
the ill-effects.
• Various research activities/ projects are taken up to study the side effects of tourism on the
environment. These studies are beneficial in understanding the social problems. The
findings and recommendations of these studies are implemented. It helps in protecting and
maintaining the right environmental/
• The local people are also made aware about the importance of the environment/
surroundings. They also cooperate in maintaining the equilibrium.
• More and more efforts are taken up to clean the streets, roads, lakes, beaches, mountain
slopes etc. This makes the area neat and tidy.
• Monuments, historical places, excavated sites, museums etc. are protected by taking
appropriate measures. They are maintained regularly and kept tidy.
• Public parks, gardens, roadside greenery, sculptured landscapes, herbs of medicinal uses
gardens, nurseries of plants etc. are developed and maintained.
• Abandoned and neglected, degraded unusable land is put under parks and made
attractive.
• Private and public buildings are renovated. The area looks very beautiful. It soothes our
eyes. It is good for the tourists as well as for the local people.
 Negative Environmental Impacts:
• There are many negative environmental impacts of tourism
particularly at the destination places. Important among them are:
• The land use is altered significantly to construct houses, hotels,
restaurants to meet the demand for the tourists and other people
visiting the area.
• A large forest cover is removed. Agricultural land is replaced by
buildings, roads and garbage disposal etc.
• Construction of roads on the slope in mountainous region leads to
many problems such as soil erosion which creates ecological
imbalances.
• Removal of plants and vegetation cover create exponential ill-effects
on the environment Deterioration and disturbance of the natural
ecology in such areas is common affair. There is also great loss of
bio-diversity due to intense tourism
Environmental impacts by
Tourism
• Landslide is widespread in such areas because of human
interventions.
• Run-off is great because of the reduction of the water seepage. Due
to greater run-off more erosion is observed. Higher erosion in the
upper reaches brings high amount of silt to the lower regions. The
deposition of coarse silt and high run-off brings floods and makes
the flood affected area almost infertile.
• Huge number of tourists arriving at any site is generating great
pressure on the natural resources of the destination area. Those
resources are getting depleted gradually.
• Huge demand for resources is leading to the degradation and
deterioration both in terms of quality and quantity. It is leading to
pollution of resources like water, air and land.
• Due to growing tourism activities, pollution of beaches, lakes, rivers,
underground water is reaching an alarming phenomenon.
• Larger number of tourists, places higher demand of various items
and services. To provide supportive and other facilities in turn leads
to congestion of the tourists sites.
• Managing the solid waste disposal and sewage treatment in such
areas is a difficult task.
• Tourism caters to tourists from all over the world. They travel by air
to cover the large distance in a short duration. Each flight expels
huge toxic gases like carbon-di-oxide, monoxide etc. in the
atmosphere resulting in a rise in the overall, worldwide
environmental problems are on rise.
• Local transport also pollutes the environment by consumption of
bio-fuels.
• The status of the archaeological, historical, architectural and natural
sites is deteriorating because of more rush of tourists.
• Many of the tourists are interested in visiting hilly areas with natural
beauty, full of waterfall, bridges, changing forests sites, snow, skiing
etc. and all these are found in a fragile area of mountain slopes.
More tourists visiting these areas results into added pressure on the
carrying capacity of such lands.
• Litter is found along the roads/trekking paths and camping grounds.
• Vigorous travelling of tourists in the parks/ wildlife sanctuaries,
biosphere reserves alters the behavior of the animals and even their
reproductive.
 POLITICAL IMPACTS
• Political impacts are seen on the tourism rather than tourism impacts on
the politics directly. But indirectly, the governments of the developed
countries, from where the well-off tourists come, influences the
governments for a Con genial condition to be provided to the visitors.
• Everyone is very much concerned about the safe and secure journey to
the tourist destination and back to the origin place.
• To get to know the visited area as well as fun and enjoyment is the main
objective of tourism. Tourists are for them and hence, they wish to go to
those areas which fulfil their objectives.
• They do not feel safe and secure at all the places of tourist's interest in
the world.
• A tourism policy gives the direction to the tourism. This policy is a set of
rules, regulations, guidelines, and directives for development and
promotion of tourism. It provides a framework with which the collective
and individual decisions affect the tourism development. Government
can create a code of conduct for a tourist. There are some outlooks
which encourage tourism, and some create obstacles.
• Positive Political Impacts
• There are many positive political impacts on tourism particularly at the
destination places. Important among them are:
• Political stability is of foremost concern to the tourists. Safely and
security at any tourist destination attracts large number of tourists.
• Law and order is the concern of the government. If it is well managed, it
helps in the inflow of the tourists.
• Political stability and protection to the tourists from the government
machinery is a tonic for the promotion of tourism.
• Political willpower to establish infrastructures in tourist attraction areas
encourages tourism. It facilitates the easy access, accommodation,
provision of guidance and other facilities required for the tourists.
• A tourists targeted planning further accelerates effect on tourism.
• Beautification of a site and safety provision without much alteration to
the natural landscape also attracts the tourists tremendously.
• Risk perception can influence tourist decision-making about the
destinations. It can severely affect tourist inflow to a destination.
• Negative Political Impacts
• There are many negative political impacts on tourism particularly at the destination
places. Important among them are:
• Political instability and conflict at the destination area/country proves to be a
hindrance.
• In fact, political instability is a condition of a country where the government is unstable
or is being toppled. Sometimes, the government is run by a faction follower of the
coup. In such conditions, law and order is a big problem. Therefore, tourists refrain from
visiting such destinations. Sometimes, the governments of the tourist origin countries
give a warning or issue advisory to their citizens not to visit such countries where
political instability or conflict prevails.
• When the tourists are already visiting the country where some political instability
comes in, a warning is issued to the citizens to leave the country at the earliest.
• The unstable government is not able to maintain law and order situation for the
citizens of the country. They may not be able to take proper care of the foreign tourists.
Hence, it becomes a deterrent to tourism.
• Government is the only authority to formulate a policy of any concern. All the policy
matters concerning the tourism are taken care of by the government which in turn
affects the outcome of the policy.
• A policy adopted in favour of tourism and infrastructure development leads to the
growth of tourism and in inverse conditions, result is contrary.
• Terrorism or naxal activities or communal conflicts in any part of a country or globe
reduces the chance to develop tourism .ex In Kashmir valley, the general unrest reduced
tourism significantly.
Political Effects of tourism
 FACTORS AFFECTING TOURISM
• There are several factors which are responsible for promoting
the travel and tourism.
• Growth in tourism infrastructure facilities and modern
services have made life easier and promoted the travel more.
• Improvement in transport, tremendous change in information
technology and communication have accelerated the
movement of people at the destination areas.
• Some important factors responsible for the growth of tourism
in any area are
• Geographical
• Cultural Event
• Safety and Security
• Economic condition
• Facilities and Services
• Government Policies
• (i) Geographical
• Geographical conditions affect the flow of tourists. Generally tourists of
hot plain area go to hill stations in summer for cooler and pleasant
climate. Tourists of cold areas go to hot areas in the winter season.
Location, climate, landscape and geographical diversity of a region
attracts the tourists in large numbers. Keeping in mind the choice of
tourists, one can estimate the tourist arrival in various seasons.
• (ii) Cultural Event
• Some social activities like festivals, fair, dances, meetings, local customs
and rituals attract the tourists in large numbers. In West Bengal, Durga
Pooja, Holi and Diwali in North India, Carnival in Goa, Dandiya in
Gujarat, Desert Festival in Rajasthan, Surajkund Mela in Haryana, Onam
in Kerala etc. are few a important events which large a number of
tourists.
• (iii) Safety and Security
• Safety and security influence the tourist growth greatly. If there is any
mishap tragedy with any tourist, that incidence decreases the inflow of
tourists. Each and every tourist wants his/her safety first. In the Kashmir
valley, tourism ha gone down significantly particularly after 1985 due to
terrorist activites and tourist has inflow turned towards other states like
Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand etc.
• (iv) Economic condition
• The economic conditions of people also affect tourism. People having high
income generally travel more as compared to the lower class, because they have
high purchasing power. They can spend much money on travel and tourism
activities.
• (v) Facilities and Services
• There are various infrastructural facilities and services which determine the
tourist traffic tremendously. These include accommodation, hotel, accessibility,
transport, banking services, communication, bookings, guides, recreational
activities etc. The availability and quality of these services attracts or discourages
the tourist, to visit any area.
• (vi) Government Policies
• Government policies affect the tourist inflow to a greater extent. For promoting
tourism in the country, the government can give some subsidy, packages, liberal
visa policy and travel regulations. Some countries do not require any visa for
tourists, they grant it on arrival while certain nations have very tough conditions
for getting it. In order to promote tourism, The Government of India conduct
some shows to attract tourist from various countries by demonstrating tourist
attractions.
Ecotourism as a tool for
sustainable development
• Ecotourism must do more than create a series of activities to
attract visitors, offering them an opportunity to interact with
nature in such a way as to make it possible to preserve or
enhance the special qualities of the site and its flora and
fauna, while allowing local inhabitants and future visitors to
continue to enjoy these qualities.
• They must also establish a durable productive base to allow
the local inhabitants and ecotourist service providers to enjoy
a sustainable standard of living while offering these services
Principles and guidelines of ecotourism to use as a tool for
sustainable development

• 1. Using resources sustainably

The conservation and sustainable use of resources -natural, social,
cultural, -- is crucial and makes long-term business sense Using
resources sustainably:
• 2. Reducing over consumption and waste
Reduction of over-consumption and waste avoids the costs of restoring
long-term environmental damage and contributes to the quality of
tourism
• 3. Maintaining Biodiversity
Maintaining and promoting natural, social, and cultural diversity is
essential for long-term sustainable tourism, and creates a resilient
base for the industry
• 4. Integrating tourism into planning
Tourism development which is integrated into a national and
local strategic planning framework and which undertakes
environmental impact assessments, increase the long-term viability of
tourism
• 5. Supporting local economies:
Tourism that supports a wide range of local economic activities and which
takes environmental costs and values into account, both protects these economies
and avoids environmental damage
• 6. Involving local communities:
The full involvement of local communities in the tourism sector not only benefits
them and the environment but also improves the quality of the tourism project
• 7. Consulting stakeholders and the public
Consultation between the tourism industry and local communities organizations
and institutions is essential if hey are to work alongside each other and resolve
potential conflicts of interest
• 8. Training Staff:
• Staff training which integrates sustainable tourism into work practices,
along with recruitment of personnel at all levels, improves the quality of the
tourism product
• 9. Marketing tourism:
responsibly Marketing that provides tourists with full and responsible information
increases respect for the natural, social and cultural environments of destination
areas and enhances customer satisfaction
• 10. Undertaking research:
Ongoing research and monitoring by the industry using effective data collection
and analysis is essential to help solve problems and bring benefits to destinations,
the industry and consumers
Three systems of sustainability in
ecotourism development
1. Environmental sustainability goals of ecotourism
promotes environmental protection (impact assessment
and environmental planning, construction methods and
materials, visual impacts, water supply, air quality, waste
minimization and litter drainage and stormwater, wastewater,
water conservation, energy minimization— buildings, energy
minimization— transport, minimal impact on wildlife)provides
environmental education-increases public environmental
consciousness-fosters healty attitudes and behaviors towards
nature encourages donations to contribute to the protection of
local natural resources air quality
2. Sociocultural sustainability goals of ecotourism-
• Promotes local people's active participation
• Promotes local ownership Empowers local people-e.g. builds up
local people's confidence/self-esteem
• Enhances local community's equilibrium
• Encourages intercultural appreciation and communication between
host communities and tourists
3. Economic sustainability goals of ecotourism-
• Contributes to lasting local economic development
• Creates permanent jobs for local people
• Drives the development of other related industries
• Upgrades local infrastructure
• Profits earned retained within local communities
• Equal distribution of revenues
• Promotes consumption and production
• Finances the establishment and maintenance of protected areas
• Uses natural resources efficiently