Tourism Policy,

Planning and
Development
(Chapter 5)

Mia Cheryl E. Casiracan, MBA-TRM

Northwest Samar State University
 Tourism Impact,
Mitigation and Adaptation
 TOURISM IMPACT,
MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
ECONOMIC
1. Dependence on external labor and management expertise
2. Residents losing control of tourism to outside investors
3. Residents being eased out of employment by outside
workers
4. Increased prices of food and other commodities
5. Overdependence on tourism
6. Decline of traditional economic activities, such as fishing,
and farming
SOCIAL
1. Loss of privacy, intrusion in daily life
2. Irritation due to crowding, longer queues,
traffic congestion
3. Loss of access to beach and other natural resources by
residents.
4. Possible drug problem
5. Prostitution, child sex slavery
6. Decreased social cohesion as migrants
come in
7. Decline of community values
8. Community stress
9. Conflict due to unmet expectations by both tourists and
residents
7. Tourists and returning residents, could bring diseases
ENVIRONMENTAL
1. Contributes to climate change through greenhouse
emissions
2. Water pollution from untreated wastewater into the sea,
boat bilges leaching from septic tanks
3. Damage to coral reefs due to use of corals for
construction purposes and anchoring at dive sites
4. Beach erosion due to dredging of sand or sand mining
and badly built piers, causing sand accretion and erosion
5. Overconsumption of certain species of animals
6. Inadvertent introduction of alien species of animals which
become pests eventually
7. Loss of animal species due to demand for animal parts
and taxidermy as souvenirs
1. Cruelty to animals such as lions being bred in captivity
and released to be hunted by tourists
2. Disruption of wildlife breeding cycles and behaviors (e.g.
trampling of nests, crushing of bird eggs and chicks)
3. Air pollution from use of diesel generator sets, jet engines
and other vehicle motors
4. Visual pollution due to loss of trees or shrub cover and
poor development
5. Noise pollution caused by vehicle motors, jet engines,
night clubs that are built close to residential areas
6. Light pollution
7. Garbage and littering
8. Soil contamination from pesticides (golf course)
1. Light pollution
2. Garbage and littering
3. Soil contamination from pesticides
(golf course)
4. Groundwater contamination from chemicals leached by
golf courses
5. Vandalized facilities, buildings and monuments
6. Water shortage
7. Electricity shortage
8. Destruction of mangroves
9. Destruction of caves due to increased air temperature and
humidity; concentration of carbon dioxide from visitor’s
exhaled air
 TOURISM IMPACT,
MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
MITIGATION
The implementation of measures designed to
reduce the undesirable effects of a proposed action
on the environment (Sharma 2011).
 When it comes to the environment, it is better to avoid the impact,
such as by relocating the site of the planned airport
on a small island destination.
But if it could not be helped or if the project has already been finished,
then mitigation measures should be implemented.
The last resort is to compensate for the damages
3 General Types:
Prevention and Control Measures
done by changing the means or techniques, changing the
site or specifying operating practices.

Ex.
Preventing the contamination of wells by siting them at a
minimum distance from latrines and through public
awareness program
Compensatory Measures
done by offsetting adverse impacts in one area with
improvements elsewhere.

Ex.
Planting trees in a new location to make up the loss of
trees on a construction site.
Remediation or Corrective Measures
done by repairing or restoring the environment after the
damage is done.

Ex.
Re-grade and replant a pit after construction is finished.
Tourism impact adaptation and mitigation are multi-level,
from the individual to organizations and communities (UNEP
2008). They consist of the following:

o Policy instruments
o Technical design
o Capacity-building
o Behavioral modification
 GREEN DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Another alternative means to prevent negative impacts, particularly with respect to

crowding, congestion, loss of vegetation and green house emissions.
These design principles aim to reduce contamination to the environment, recycle waste
and reuse energy
Green Design Principles:
o Pre-design and Site Planning Stage
o Concept Design Stage
o Guidelines for Selection of Materials
o Planning for Energy Use
o Planning for Water Use and Others
o Construction Management
o Building Operation and Management
A design for tourism activity that supports sustainable tourism.
The design ensures to take into account the needs of the environment, local residents, businesses,
and visitors; now and in the future.

Green tourism businesses are those actively engaged in reducing the negative environmental and
social impacts of their tourism operations.
Tourism Development Standards:
o Avoiding environmental hazards
o Maintaining views
o Site coverage density
o Building heights
o Building setbacks
o Landscaping
o Vehicle parking
o Utility lines
o Architectural design
o Roads
Green Infrastructure
The use of ecosystems, green spaces, and water in
strategic land use planning to deliver environmental
and quality of life benefits .
Green Infrastructure
It includes parks, open spaces, playing fields, woodlands, wetlands, road verges, allotments and
private gardens.
Green infrastructure contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, natural disasster, risk
mitigation, protection against flooding and erosion as well as biodiversity conservation
Green Infrastructure Guidelines:
o At the strategic level (forests and woodlands, public parks and gardens)
o At the neighbourhood level (plays spaces, sports areas, parks)
o At the street level (boundary features, street trees, drainage systems)
o At the building level (green roofs, living walls, rainwater harvesting system)
Benefits of Green Infrastructure
o Place-making
o Economic value
o Climate change mitigation
o Environmental health
o Community and social benefits
o Health and well-being
Behavioral Modifications
Modifying tourist behavior is another important component of impact mitigation.
10 Rs of Sustainable Tourist Behavior
Pearce, 2005

1. Recognize that behavior creates substantial

consequences
2. Refuse to buy products that use materials from
endangered species
3. Reduce consumption of local resources to what
you actually need
4. Replace experiences with those that have fewer
or no impacts on the environment
5. Re-use products
10 Rs of Sustainable Tourist Behavior
Pearce, 2005

6. Recycle products for a different purpose

7. Re-engineer behavior by active personal intervention
8. Retrain in order to develop physically and learn new
personal skills to cope better in new situations
9. Reward yourself by taking advantage on incentives to
promote sustainable activities.
10. Re-educate people to adopt long-term sustainable
personal behavior
 Visitor Management Techniques

Control Visitor Numbers to Reduce Use.

charge user fees / environmental fees which
will restrict access; encourage the use of other
sites, limit length of stay, remove facilities in
sensitive areas, and set carrying capacity limit
 Set Boundaries.
assign specific areas for different uses, such
as waiting area, boarding area, dining area;
locate facilities on durable sites and
concentrate use by clustering facilities in one
area rather than the whole protected area;
prohibit off-trail travel .
 Manage the timing of use.
schedule trips so that the site is not overwhelmed by
so many visitors at any one time, encourage off-
peak visits, discourage visitations during peak
period by charging higher fees, have holding areas
or visitor centers where visitors can wait instead of
crowding sensitive sites like caves.
 Manage Visitor Behavior
place “dos and don’ts” signs in strategic
areas; prohibit camping, cooking, bringing
of pets, and bottled or canned drinks.
 Manage Visitor Expectations
inform visitors of the condition of the site to
be visited and what they can and cannot do;
educate visitors on acceptable behavior such
as taking photos of animals without using
flash, not touching the stone deposits inside a
cave, not piggybacking whales or dolphins
 Increase the Resistance of the
Resource.
construct elevated boardwalks to minimize
trampling . Put up barriers (fences, ditches)
to stop people from going into sensitive
wetlands or breeding grounds of
endangered animals.
 Harden Sites to Reduce Erosion.
erosion is a natural process by which soil
and rock materials are loosened and
removed by the action of water, wind or
ice. An example of “hard engineering
solution” to prevent coastal erosion is a
the use of artificial reefs or rock walls.
 Maintain and Rehabilitate Resource
close certain areas for a certain period to allow
ecosystems to recover.
 Prohibit Vehicles and
Certain Types of Equipment
this helps prevent damage to trails and
vegetation and reduces noise that can disturb
wildlife. It also limits the number of people who
can access sensitive areas.
 Require Visitors to Bring Certain
Equipment for Wilderness Camping
have them bring portable stove and remote
sensing devices in case the visitors need
to be rescued.
Provide Different Media for Interpretation
visitor centers, maps, brochures, signs,
information posts, tour guiding.
Interpretation – is the weaving of facts and
data about a place so the visitors come to
understand and appreciate the values
which the park was established
 Limit Entry of Groups from
Accredited Tour Operators only
divers, mountaineers, and eco-guides must
have standard qualifications.
 :

Thank You
END of Chapter 5
Any questions?
You can find me at:
▰ [email protected]
▰ https://web.messenger.com/miacherylcasiracan

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