Understanding the World of Tourism: Positive and Negative Impacts on Economic, Environmental, and Socio-Cultural Aspects

This essay covers the development of contemporary tourism, its significant factors, and the positive and negative impacts on economic, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects.

Understanding the
world of tourism

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Description of development of contemporary tourism and significant factors...........................3
Positive and negative economic impact of tourism.....................................................................4
Discussion of positive and negative environmental impact of tourism.......................................5
Positive and negative impact of socio-cultural impact of tourism..............................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Tourism is considered as the growing industry that is involved in providing various products and
services, pleasure and leisure activities to its customers that are away from home environment
that attracts visitors. There are various sectors are included in tourism sector such as
transportation, recreation and entertainment, food and beverages and other travel services that
provide better experience to visitors (Agarwal, Busbyand Huang, 2018). Generally, tourism
industry is related to the movement of people from one place to another as well as provide them
accommodation, food and drink and other services. Tourism industry plays important role in
creating job opportunities and improving economic conditions. This essay covers description of
contemporary tourism along with its significant factors. Along with that, positive and negative
impact on economic, environmental and socio-cultural aspects.
MAIN BODY
Description of development of contemporary tourism and significant factors
Tourism is defined as the sector that provides travelling and stay facilities to the visitors in which
they can take better experience leisure, recreation and others outside from their usual
environment. Contemporary tourism is considered as the most important phenomenon that is
changing at fast rate. It is the concept that is intended by the various developed countries that
plays important role in economic growth and development with emerging economies. Tourism is
being considered as the largest industry of the world that plays significant role in cultural change
and contributes in environmental changes as well (Alvarado-Sizzo, 2021). Contemporary tourism
is the complex and dynamic in nature that need to be considered by the organisations of tourism
industry to gain competitive advantages in current business environment and provide better
experience to visitors that enhances overall sales and profitability of organisation.
In current business environment, there are various factors such as economic, technological,
social, environmental and other factors that impacts the efficiency and decision-making of
tourism industry (Carson, and Pennings, 2017). Tourism industry impacts important role in
growth and development of country through enhancing the employment opportunities, enhancing
foreign exchanges, improve business of local industries as well as increase the income of
government. Along with these economic benefits, tourism also creates positive impact on
environment maintaining the environment clean, grow plants that make environment pollution

free that attracts more customer base and provide them natural experience (Crossley, 2020). As
per the globalisation various trends are changed in tourism industry, so it becomes important for
the current business to analyse these trends and changes than develop planning accordingly that
helps to gain competitive business environment.
Positive and negative economic impact of tourism
Tourism industry is the fastest growing industry that plays important role in economic
developments through provide opportunities to the local business to generate profits through
selling their products and services to tourists and visitors who come to specific destination for
the purpose of fun and business from other countries. Along with that, tourism sector creates
various employment opportunities for local people in countries because for providing services to
tourist, tourism organisation needs to hire employees (Cohen, and Cohen, 2019). Furthermore,
various international hotels also expanding their business in host country that improves economic
conditions of the country. It also enables local organisation to maintain their global reach and
attract higher number of visitors. Through tourism activities facilitates a country get foreign
exchange by the tourists who come from foreign country. Foreigner visitors purchase local craft
item and food products that enhances sales and profitability of local businesses and enhance their
contribution in economic development (Cooper, 2020). Tourism also provides different types of
benefits to the government because they charge various taxes as well as duties on the products
that are purchased by the tourist by the local organisations.
Tourism industry plays most significant role in economic development but there are some
negative impacts on economic aspects as well such as majority of jobs in tourism sector are
seasonal and provides insufficient compensation to employees because tourists visit at specific
destination in particular season that enhances hidden unemployment of country. There are some
hidden costs of tourism that creates negative impact on economy of particular destination. In
inclusive tourism packages most of expenditure are goes to airlines, hotels and other
international industries and local business are not so much benefited from it (Din, 2018). Various
countries are not supporting the tourism due to its higher seasonality and harsh climate
conditions. In specific tourism season, local employees get employment opportunities but there is
no gurantee that they will get the same employment in next season that created uncertainty for
their livelihood. For the tourism purpose different types of consumable drinks and food items are
imported from other countries that enhances country’s cost and imports.

Discussion of positive and negative environmental impact of tourism
Environment aspects are considered as the surrounding and condition in which an individual live.
Tourism activities impact environmental conditions in positive as well as negative manner.
There are various positive environment impacts of tourism are such large number of people are
visit to the specific destination that help it to generate more income as well as enhances the
awareness and conscious regarding the environment (Chang, 2021). Sometimes foreign tourists
also provide innovative and quality ideas for reducing the stress on environment and enhances
sustainable tourism. Tourism industry also ensures cleanliness of specific tourism destination
with the objective of attracts more tourists (Dixit, ed., 2020). All these actions help to take
protective measures regarding the environment and maintain ecological balance. Local people
also spread awareness in the context of making environment pollution free. There are various
efforts are put by tourism industry to clean streets, lacks, roads, beaches and other places for
providing quality experience to tourists. Private and public buildings are renovated that attracts
the attraction for visitors and provide benefits to both tourists and local people.
Tourism industry also possess various negative impact on environment such as for attracting
larger number of tourism counties has started the construction of hotels, restaurant after
removing the areas of forests. Deterioration and disturbance of natural ecology also creates
problem for the environment. Growing activities of tourism created pollution on beaches, river,
lakes and other destinations (Fang, 2020). Tourists are arriving at specific destination that
generates extreme pressure on natural resources. Tourism also leads to construction of roads on
hilly areas or mountains for the purpose of transportation which enhances the problems of soil
erosion which created imbalance in ecological. Along with that, construction of tall buildings
and hotels creates obstruction in skyline and impacts in natural beauty as well (Saarinen,
Rogerson, and Hall, 2019).
Positive and negative impact of socio-cultural impact of tourism
Society is defined as the community or group of people who are living is specific area that
possess common institution, tradition interest and activities. Culture is adopted by society to stay
together as well as bind people of society together. Tourism is the aspect that provide creates
positive impact on the factors of socio culture through providing opportunity to tourists to
visitors to get knowledge and understanding regarding different culture of other regions and
international norms (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2018). It is also the important educational component

because it promotes understanding between two or more cultural groups two or more cultural
groups that helps in culture exchange between host and guest. Tourism supports development of
community facilities and services that are also used by the local people that enhances their
lifestyle and living standards. It enhances visitor’s awareness regarding cultural, natural as well
as historical sites (Jansson, 2018). Tourists also interested in purchasing many arts and craft of
specific area and nation that enhances monetary gains of local people. Tourism also generated
the feeling of pride among people regarding their heritages.
Tourism plays important role in the growth and development socio-cultural things on the other
hand, it also creates negative impact on social cultural aspects (Richards, 2018). It reduces
bounding of family structure as well as promotes nuclear family norms and tourism also fails to
respect local people, moral values and customers as per ignorance and carelessness. In current
business environment, people are come from different society who has different lifestyle. Moral
conduct of the local people is deteriorating particularly when local youth try to imitate
foreigners. Violation and breaking the local norms as well as customs by the tourist lead the
conflict between host and guest. Local language erosion and dialect also the factors that
enhances the purity and mixture of language.
CONCLUSION
As per above mentioned report, it can be concluded that tourism is the activity that plays most
significant role in growth and development of country’s economy. Tourism plays various
positive and negative impact on economic, cultural as well as environmental aspects. The
activities of tourism provide various facilities to the local people such as provide employment
opportunities, enhances life-style, facilitates government to generate higher revenue as well as
improve infrastructure. Tourism ensures growth and development of community and society
through improving conditions of streets, roads and other things. It facilitates people to being
aware regarding the culture and interact with other people. It is important for the organisations of
travel and tourism industry to understand needs and demands of tourists than provides them
quality services and experience that helps in its growth and development. There are various
actions are taken for reducing the negative impact of tourism on environment.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Agarwal, S., Busby, G. and Huang, R. eds., 2018. Special interest tourism: Concepts, contexts
and cases. CABI.
Alvarado-Sizzo, I., 2021. Spatial representations, heritage and territorial-synecdoche in
contemporary tourism. Tourism Geographies, pp.1-20.
Carson, S. and Pennings, M. eds., 2017. Performing cultural tourism: Communities, tourists and
creative practices (Vol. 42). Taylor & Francis.
Chang, T.C., 2021. Insularities: Anglo-and Asia-centrism in tourism. Annals of Tourism
Research, 90, p.103261.
Cohen, S.A. and Cohen, E., 2019. New directions in the sociology of tourism. Current Issues in
Tourism, 22(2), pp.153-172.
Cooper, C., 2020. Essentials of tourism. Sage.
Crossley, É., 2020. Ecological grief generates desire for environmental healing in tourism after
COVID-19. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), pp.536-546.
Din, K.H., 2018. Dialogue with the hosts: an educational strategy towards sustainable tourism.
In Tourism in South-East Asia (pp. 327-336). Routledge.
Din, K.H., 2018. Dialogue with the hosts: an educational strategy towards sustainable tourism.
In Tourism in South-East Asia (pp. 327-336). Routledge.
Dixit, S.K. ed., 2020. The Routledge handbook of tourism experience management and
marketing. Routledge.
Fang, W.T., 2020. Tourism in emerging economies. Springer Singapore.
Higgins-Desbiolles, F., 2018. The potential for justice through tourism. Via. Tourism Review,
(13).
Jansson, A., 2018. Rethinking post-tourism in the age of social media. Annals of Tourism
Research, 69, pp.101-110.
Richards, G., 2018. Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends. Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Management, 36, pp.12-21.
Saarinen, J., Rogerson, C.M. and Hall, C.M. eds., 2019. Tourism planning and development:
contemporary cases and emerging issues. Routledge.