TOUR 423: Mass Tourism Impact Analysis - Athens Olympics 2004 Report

This report delves into the adverse effects of mass tourism, particularly focusing on the 2004 Athens Olympics. It examines how irresponsible marketing and planning led to unsustainable tourism practices, environmental damage, and challenges in resource management. The analysis includes a discussion on the negative impacts of mass tourism, such as environmental destruction, pollution, and cultural loss. The report also explores potential solutions, including improved planning, sustainable resource use, ethical marketing, and the promotion of green technologies. The case of Hong Kong's handling of mass tourism, particularly with the establishment of Disney World, is presented as a contrasting example of sustainable tourism practices. The report concludes with a call for more responsible tourism planning and management to mitigate the negative impacts of mass tourism and promote sustainable growth in the future.

Running head: MASS TOURISM OLYMPICS 2004
MASS TOURISM OLYMPICS 2004
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Introduction:
The aim of this paper is to discuss the impact of mass tourism upon the natural and
human environment. In this paper the discussion will be made about the case of Athens
Olympics arranged in 2004 and how the impact of mass tourism had effected the sustainable
growth of tourism in that place. This issue was mainly related to the irresponsible marketing
process that the event planners and managers did not handle with process care. In this paper the
analysis of this case will be done explaining the background and consequences so the event
planners and managers do not face this type of issues in future and repeat the same mistake
leading to this type of disaster.
Discussion:
About mass tourism:
Mass tourism takes place when a large number of tourists visit the same place at one
time. Mass tourism can be supportive if the economic growth of the country can be found hence
the government along with the people of that particular country promote the tourism in that place
as this ensures the generation of the lot of income. In addition to this, mass tourism can be one of
the most popular form of tourism because of its cheapest way for going on the holidays through
booking packaged deals using internet r for that matter booking through an agency.
The reasons why the governments and people in the country promote mass tourism has
various facets. This include-
 Improvement of the economy of the place

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 Employment issues are eliminated as new hotels and restaurants and other factors
supporting tourism growth.
 Improvement of communication
 Enhanced standard of living and more disposable income
 More industries in the country get promoted like farming, food processing, tour
operation, entertainment, transportation and construction.
Impact of mass tourism:
Despite the fact that mass tourism effectively promote the tourism in that particular place
by helping the government to earn revenue and local people to get employed in the various
increase along with start business to support that tourism, mass tourism however effects
negatively in many a way. In this case, a huge number of people visit a place at a time that may
not support the accommodation or for that matter usage of the resources. This causes a complete
ruin of the place hampering the regular lives of the people residing there. In this case, the issues
like environment destruction, loss of culture, increase of pollution, excessive crowd, changing of
behavior, increase of criminal activities and negative effect upon economy can be seen. In mass
tourism, a large number of people visit a place therefore the government take the natural lads to
make the hotels and other infrastructure that connects deforestation. In this way the natural
vegetation get destructed and the native animals get killed to accommodate place for the tourists.
In addition to this, the people vising this place demand a huge arrangement of food that can
cause increase of price of food items making the situation of the actual residents more
problematic. Similarly, through this yep of tourism a sudden growth of population in a small area
grows that increases pollution. The demands of natural resources also increases making the
government confused and ineffective.

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Analysis of case:
The negative impact of mass tourism can be seen in the case of the Athens Olympic in
2004 where the organizers could not help the government to face the ill effect of ass tourism in
the future. This is a case of event tourism where a large history of sports is associated. Olympics
is the biggest of events that a country can arrange. The size of this event and activities associated
with this leads the government to get international fund to be utilized for construction of the city,
arranging transport system and accommodate people from different parts of the world. This is an
event that takes place for one moth long which put pressure upon the cities facing threat in many
ways due to this mass tourism. This case of Athens Olympics has become infamous because of
the inability of the government to handle the situation after the event was completed. Te issues
have been reported to the international Olympic Committee so that this respond the empting ad
arranging need of the issues related to the mass truism due to this particular event.
Issues:
The needs of this events were related to the accommodation of the tourism visiting in this
event from all the countries of the world and proper management of the situation when the event
is connected. As pointed out the WWF and The international Olympic Committee scoring 0.77
on the scale of 0-4 (Case, 2013). This event failed to meet the demands in terms of natural
diversity, waste management, usage o green n technologies and conservation of the water by
polluting it. The post-Olympic situation has attracted the attention of the critics because it had
failed to protect natural vegetation in the city through deforestation for infrastructure growth
(Gabarda-Mallorquí, Garcia & Ribas, 2017). Here the government was funded to develop
building, sports village superstructures, effective transport system for the proper communication

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among the games villages, developing energy sector to provide uninterrupted power supply and
finally the entire township. In this regard, issues have developed due to mass tourism in the area
without much support from the government. The sustainability issues have been found due to
irresponsible marketing where there is no mention about sustainable usage of the resources.
The irresponsible marketing of this sports event has led the government face issues like failure in
accommodating this large population due to mass tourism and it has failed to manage the
environmental issues like pollution due to waste management issues along with the improper
functionalism in the energy sector.
Solution of this type of issues:
This type of issues can hamper the growth of the countries and present the flow of regular life of
the people living in that place (Garau-Vadell, Gutierrez-Taño & Diaz-Armas, 2018). This is the
reason why, the government needs to take proper initiative to plan and management the situation
more effectively. In order to solve this type of issues, the planning system needs to be
strengthened and proper knowledge of the capacity of the place needs to be availed. With proper
knowledge about the resources can make the planers understand how much people the city or the
area can avail and accommodate. This leads to proper realization of the planning so that the
balance of the natural world are protected.
Firstly, the planning team needs to point out the resources available along with the space of the
area where the event or attractions are taking placed.
Secondly, before planning the accommodation, this is needed that the planners find out the
regional alternatives. By gathering all the attractions into one place can lad the place to be more

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populated. This ultimately results in the increase of pollution, waste disposal and demand of the
resources like food, water and accommodation`
Thirdly, the marketers if possible promote that the tourists must have proper knowledge of the
sustainable use of resources (Martínez‐Garcia, Raya & Majó, 2017). They need to be ecofriendly
and responsible traveler so that the usage of plastic and other non-biodegradable things are not
affecting the nature. In addition to this, responsible use of water and not harming the flora and
fauna of that place need to be taken are of.
Fourthly, the planners need to promote the ethical torus companies or agents so that the tourists
will be visiting the place do not indulge in any criminal activities in the place being visited. This
is due to the fact that the threat of terrorism has become a source of risk that needs to be
protected (Sharpley & Harrison, 2017). This is the reason why the employment of ethical
agencies can ensure that the documents of the people visiting this area are properly checked.
Fifthly, the country need to have proper cleaning habits so that the visitors find this to be
attractive and waste management issues will to bother the national life.
Sixthly the government needs to promote the growth of hotels with green technologies in the
building process along with the operation (Chong, 2020). This can lead the government to
promote the reduction of carbon foot print and promoted sustainable tourism.
Seventhly, the planners can develop structure plans in such a way that the mass tourism do not
hamper the historical places like museums and national parks.

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Eighthly, the employment situation can also be promoted as the government needs to plan score
for the local business. The local people will be getting scope to showcase their own products
unique to the visitors (Ashton, 2016).
Finally, the alternative tourism can be promoted because when the people get gathered to attain
any event or any attraction in a huge number they need to spread their focus in different factors
of this region. This will enable the government to create more scope for growth without
accumulating a large number into one place only.
Example of another destination:
Mass tourism can also be seen in the place like Hong Kong where the establishment of
Disney World has promoted the overall growth of the economy of the region. In this place, the
tourism planning has been done in such a way that promote sustainability in an effective way.
The government has taken initiative to dispose wastes in a proper way, created accommodation
for the visitors to come and live for a long in this place and contribute for the growth of this
region (Trendafilova, Graham & Bemiller, 2017). Along with the growth of this organization
greatly supervised by the franchise of Walt Disney head quarter in California, this particular
place has gained success in handling mass tourism. In the peak season a large number of tourist
visit this place and get proper accommodation in the area near Disney World. They effectively
use the resources but that does not harm the natural life. In addition to this, the pollution level
due to over population than expected do not affect the city life as the transportation system uses
green technologies.
Conclusion:

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Therefore it can be concluded that mass tourism can help the economy of the region to be
promoted but this may not be supportive of natural growth of the vegetation and lives of the
people residing in that place. Now there are methods to handle this popular situation through
proper planning that will promote mass tourism in the potential places helping both the visitors,
the people residing along with the sustainable growth of the natural flora and fauna of this place.

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Chong, K. L. (2020). The side effects of mass tourism: the voices of Bali islanders. Asia Pacific
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