System04104 Essay: Impact of Pollution on Tourism Industry

This essay explores the significant impact of environmental pollution on the tourism industry. It emphasizes that pollution, encompassing air, water, and soil contamination, poses a major threat to the tourism sector, particularly in areas that depend on natural beauty and attractions. The essay highlights how pollution leads to the degradation of tourist destinations, such as beaches and mountains, and discusses the role of tourism itself in contributing to pollution. It advocates for sustainable tourism development, emphasizing the need for awareness, government regulations, and industry practices to minimize environmental damage. The essay stresses the importance of reducing reliance on activities that cause deforestation and water pollution and highlights the role of sustainable practices in protecting natural resources and preserving the appeal of tourist destinations. The conclusion reinforces that the collective responsibility of governments, the tourism industry, and tourists themselves is crucial for achieving sustainable tourism and mitigating the negative effects of pollution.

Running Head: Impact of pollution on Tourism Industry
Impact of Pollution on Tourism industry
Essay
System04104
9/23/2019

Impact of pollution on Tourism Industry
1
Impact of Pollution on Tourism Industry
Environmental pollution is one of the major causes that large affect the tourism sector in all
over the world. Pollution is a global environmental issue and a challenge for the entire world
to protect the life of people from various type of environmental pollution like air pollution,
water pollution, soil pollution etc. The impact of pollution on the tourism sector is a major
concern for those countries which economy depends on the tourism sector. However,
pollution is one of the most dangerous factors that affect the tourism sector in all those area
where large number of people visit every year for entertainment and adventures activities.
It has been noted the growing need of people and increasing population of the world resulted
in the deforestation and excessive use of natural resources. These activities of people
misbalanced the natural ecosystem or Eco-cycle. However, this also leads to air pollution in
the world, which is more dangerous thing for the humans to survive on the earth. Every day
huge amount of poisonous gases emitted from the vehicles, chemical factories, and
technological equipment like refrigerator or air-conditioners (ACs) and from the other
production companies that affect our atmosphere with poisonous gases and cause air
pollution (Kim, Kyungmi, Uysal, and Sirgy 2013, 527-540). The large numbers of tourist
places are known for their natural beauties, beautiful sea beaches, and wonderful mountains
and lake. The people love to visit such type of places where natural beauties attract every one.
However, pollution such as water pollution and air pollution negatively affect the natural
beauty that will further leads to a negative effect on the tourism industry. Sea beaches and
mountains with glaciers are some of the beautiful places to visit for the tourists, but the rise in
global temperature due to increasing environmental pollution is the major cause of decreasing
number of tourists in these areas, especially in those areas where glaciers and lakes are the
centre point of attraction. However, it is also crucial to understand that tourism is self-
responsible for many type of pollution such as water pollution and soil pollution. However, to
promote the tourism in sustainable way, it is necessary to aware people about the importance
of their role in sustainable tourism (Jarvis, Diane, Stoeckl, and Liu 2016. 1-18). It has been
seen that air pollution is a major factor that affect the tourism industry at great extent,
especially in those areas where large number of population is living. Impact of pollution
cannot be ignored in the tourism industry, so it is crucial for the people to consider their role
to minimise the air pollution and taking a step towards the sustainable tourism development.
In all over the world, more than 1,323 millions of people travelling one place to another place

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for the purpose of tourism. The tourism sector brings lots of money for the countries and for
the government of tourism destination. However, these large numbers of tourists are also
responsible for using large volume of water and energy usage as well as waste creation and
pollution. Therefore, to reduce such pollution and excessive consumption of natural
resources, the government organisations and tourism industry should focus on the sustainable
tourism plan and strategies (Sutawa and Kade 2012, 413-422).
Sustainable tourism development is a concept that promotes the minimal use of or destruction
of natural resources while tourism activities. It has been seen that people cut the trees in huge
numbers and deforestation is done for the increasing number of people who are spreading
their colony all over the world. The conversion of rural areas in urbanisation and the
increasing demand of people that is directly related to the natural resources like trees and
water are the major cause of pollution. The people need to reduce their dependency on such
activities that leads to deforestation and water pollution. The source of oxygen on the earth
are the forests which spread all over the world and if they eliminated by the people, the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing that leads to various diseases such as cancer
and tuberculosis etc. (Li, Gang, Yang, Liu, and Zheng 2014, 11-18). However, the human
interference in the destruction of natural resources is the major cause of pollution which
further affect the tourism industry and various business operations of those countries that
depends in the tourism sector (Eshliki, Sajad and Kaboudi 2012, 333-341.). In such a
scenario, it is crucial for the tourism industry and government to take appropriate actions
against the various source of pollution and promote the sustainable tourism in the country.
Sustainable tourism is the only way that protects enhances the tourism industry by reducing
the destruction of natural resources. It is the role of government and tourism industry to
aware people about their role in sustainable tourism and makes some strict policies and
framework that will reduce the pollution from the organisation (Buckley 2012, 528-546). The
government can make strict policies and rules related to pollution and should impose heavy
penalty for those hotels or tourism organisation, which are responsible for waste creation of
pollution (Fortanier, Fabienne, and Van Wijk 2010, 191-205). The another example of
promoting sustainable tourism is to give awards to those hotels and tourism industries that
have helped the nation to reduce the pollution by initiating new ideas and practices in the
hotel industry. Pollution is the major causes that affect the monuments of the tourist
destination and affect the beauty of the place. For example, Tajmahal is located in Agra
(India) and it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World but due to heavy pollution in that

Impact of pollution on Tourism Industry
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area the stones used in the Tajmahal are losing their whitish colour. It means pollution affect
the beauty of that beautiful monument which is the attraction point of large number of
visitors from all over the world. However, after that the Indian government had taken some
strict actions to protect the beauty of Tajmahal and removed all those industries from that
area, which are responsible for air pollution in Agra (Bullock, Craig, Brereton and Bailey
2017, 76-87).
The role of government and tourism industry to promote sustainable tourism is crucial for the
sustainable development of tourism industry in all over the world. It is essential to understand
that many of the tourism destinations do not have appropriate system for recycling of waste
products that tourists used during their activities in that tourism area. Therefore, it is the
responsibility of tourism industry and government to aware the local bodies and stakeholders
of tourism to develop new ideas and solutions of such type of environmental issues. Pollution
is really a big concern for the tourism industry because pollutions is affecting the tourism
industry in both ways, after the tourism activities by tourists and before the tourism activity
by general people. Therefore, the government and tourism industry must focus on these all
factors, which are responsible for tourism pollution and effect of pollution on tourism sector.
The government can restrict the entry of manufacturing organisations or those organisations
that are emitting greenhouse gases in the tourism areas. The strict action against such type of
industries may reduce the level of pollution that came from industry waste and chimneys
(Choi, Chris, and Murray 2010, 575-594). This will help the government to promote
sustainable tourism in the area and promote a healthy environment as well for the people who
love the beauty of nature. The role of tourism industry is to promote the cleanliness in those
areas where large numbers of people visiting every year for the entertainment purposes and
spreading waste in form of plastics and other chemical material that polluted the water in the
lakes, around the beaches, in rivers, or on mountains. Protecting these areas from those
activities that are creating pollution is the only way to protect the natural resources and
natural beauty in the world. However, it is also considerable that sustainable tourism is only
possible if the people (tourists) understand their roles and responsibility towards the nature
and avoid those activities that cause pollution. This is the most important way of promoting
sustainable tourism in the world (Saenz-de-Miera, Oscar, and Rossello 2014, 273-281).
In conclusion, pollution is the global threat and it has huge negative effect on the tourism
industry. The natural beauty is diminishing every day because of the global emission of

Impact of pollution on Tourism Industry
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greenhouse gases and mass destruction of natural resources including deforestation.
However, if the government and tourism industry understand their responsibility towards the
world and restrict those activities that are causing water, air and soil pollution, then it is
possible that world will continue its journey towards the sustainable tourism. However, the
awareness of understanding the roles and responsibility of people towards the natural climate
and natural resources is an important part of sustainable development. However, government
can also take some strict actions against those industries, which are responsible for air and
water pollution through their industrial wastes. Government should eliminate all those
industries and factories that are operating their poisonous activities near the natural resources
or near the national heritage of the country.

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