Mass Tourism: Definition, Impacts, Alternative Forms, and Taxation

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of mass tourism, beginning with its definition and exploring its multifaceted impacts on both the environment and local communities. It examines the negative consequences of mass tourism, such as environmental degradation, social tensions, and economic imbalances, while also acknowledging its contribution to economic growth. The essay then delves into the emergence of alternative tourism models, including ecotourism, pro-poor tourism, and geotourism, as responses to the shortcomings of mass tourism. It highlights the principles of sustainable tourism, emphasizing the importance of balancing economic benefits with the preservation of cultural heritage and environmental resources. Furthermore, the essay discusses the role of taxation in mitigating the adverse effects of mass tourism and promoting sustainable practices. The conclusion underscores the need for local authorities to adopt sustainable tourism strategies to balance the positive and negative impacts of tourism.

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Introduction
Mass tourism has, for decades, been seen as an ambiguous term which lacks a
definitely agreed definition. (Page, 2014) Numerous scholars have had a growing interest to
address the concept of mass tourism from a fresh viewpoint. This lack for an agreeable
definition has been due to its multidimensional characteristic which does evoke different
meaning to different people. The writings and its theoretical study per se are surprisingly rare,
especially those that explain its conceptualization. Cambridge online dictionary defines
tourism as the act of providing various services such as transport, accommodation or
entertainment for people who are on a vacation. Tourism may also be defined as the total sum
of activities, processes, and outcomes that may arise from the interaction and relationship
among the domestic nation, host community, tourists, tourism agencies and the surrounding
environments that involve themselves in the transport, hosting and managing of tourists and
other visitors. (Boissevain, 2014)
Mass tourism involves the visiting of a large number of people to a leisure destination
at one given time. The quality of both the natural and manmade environment is essential to
tourism. The relationship of tourism and its activities to the environment is quite complex.
This is because it involves such activities that can possess negative environmental effects.
These effects may be linked with the existing infrastructure and various tourism amenities
such as the roads, airports, resorts, shops, boutiques, and marinas. Therefore, tourism’s
adverse effects can slowly destroy the environmental resources on which its dependence lie
upon. (Bramwell, 2012)
Tourism is a significant factor that contributes to the growth and development of a
nation’s economy. It has been directly linked with a country’s economic, cultural and
intellectual capabilities in various contexts. However, there may exist environmental

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externalities due to tourism such as cultural damages and pollution to the local environment.
The increase in visitors may lead to increased crime or aggressiveness hence an increase in
social tension which may cause the growth of social deviations. This excessive number of
visitors due to mass tourism may result in loss of the ability to accommodate excessive use
leading to the devastation, degradation and even collapse. (Brown and Hall, 2013) The negative
effects may not only have an impact on tourists themselves but also on the local people.
The emergence of alternative tourism has been seen as the main response to the
growing negative impacts of mass tourism. Three main responses have been identified. First,
there should be better planning and vigilant development within the current conventional
model of tourism which will help in ameliorating and avoiding the existing advance effects.
Secondly, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the small private operators
should look for alternatives to tourism by merely generating and reinventing new forms of
tourism. Third, by rejecting tourism brought about by adopting the ‘anti-tourism stance’
particularly in the developing countries. There exist some influential drivers of the movement
to search for alternative forms of tourism. These drivers include recognizing the negative
impacts on the environment and social-cultural aspects of the destinations by the
conventional tourism, the appearance of developmental ideologies that outline the
disadvantages of modernization, development, urbanization, and capitalism and lastly, the
consideration of human rights of the local people in managing changes in their communities.
(Cooper, 2013)
Alternative tourism is entirely a rejection of mass tourism and can be grouped as part
of the radical movement used in transforming social relations. Ecotourism has been classified
under new forms of alternative tourism. It has seen the shifting away of mass tourism hence
responsible and sustainable form of tourism. However, its effectiveness has been criticized in
terms of its practice specifically due to the complexity that makes it hard to interpret in real

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situations. The alternative tourism concept incorporates terms and approaches such as pro-
poor tourism, fair trade, and ethical tourism, indigenous tourism, geotourism, adventure
tourism, and rural tourism. Pro-poor tourism intends to increase opportunities for the poor
especially in the developing countries whereby such factors as decision making, economic
gain, and other living benefits are put into consideration. The policies in fair trade and ethical
tourism try to generate social, economic and cultural benefits to the local communities and
help lessen economic leakage. (Page, 2014)
The indigenous tourism involves various NGOs and the local people’s organizations
that seek to promote the participation of the native people and their community in controlling
and maintaining their resources. Rural tourism or agro-tourism focuses on the native cultural
heritage and indigenous services of the farmers in rural places specifically in the developed
and developing nations. This form of tourism enhances the involvement of the native people
because it is majorly managed and operated by local enterprises. The latest concept of
geotourism has enhanced the geographical character of the location being visited which
includes its environment, cultural aspects, heritage and the welfare of the residents hence has
been seen as an effective solution to the problem of mass tourism. (Hazari and Sgro, 2014)
Alternative tourism has been effective in dealing with the damaging effects on the
livelihood of the people who depend on tourism and also on the environment as a whole.
(Hazari and Sgro, 2014)This is shown by its aim to solve various problems of mass tourism and
support sustainable development. It has incorporated strategies that have seen the elimination
of the adverse effects of tourism majorly on the native and cultural resources and also
involving local participation. Alternative tourism has seen the emphasis of different elements
of the tourism industry such as new kinds of services, modes of traveling, change of old
activities and trending management processes. However, since it doesn’t exhibit uniformity
and also its nature of not being free of internal competition, it is unlikely that it may never

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fully accommodate the mass tourism. Therefore, it is important that the various elements of
alternative tourism be embraced by the majority of actors and stakeholders for maximum
benefits.
Sustainable tourism emerged due to the increasingly adverse effects and impacts of
the tourism industry in the local area designations. (McGowan, 2013) Its reactive concept seeks
to eliminate the negative effects i.e. the economic, social, cultural and environmental which
normally outshines the benefits that tourism brings to the local countries. This form of
tourism involves small corporations and entrepreneurs with the sole purpose of conserving of
the community and protecting the local culture. Studies have shown that the main
dissimilarity between the old and new forms of tourism is its focus of the welfare of the
community rather than that of the tourist. (Jules, 2015)Therefore one can conclude that
sustainable tourism represents all forms of tourism that enhance compatibility and contribute
to justifiable development.
Sustainable tourism has encountered several challenges from the local industries,
governments, native authorities, and even tourists. On the bright side, this form of sustainable
tourism has been well proven in the tourism market where the only task in hand is to enhance
its marketing and advertisement in order to involve a large number of persons. In order for it
to be an effective solution in addressing the problems created by mass tourism, significant
steps should be undertaken in the direction of education. Education can surpass local
governments, authorities, scholars, and entrepreneurs hence changing the attitudes of those
persons who might be obstacles in the future creation and development of sustainable
tourism. (Jules, 2015)
A good investment climate is incorporated by principles that promote a simple, just
and transparent taxation. (Church, 2015) An underpinned sound tax regime plays a significant

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role in the growth and development of government’s strategy yet in many countries, these tax
systems have been branded by exemption methods and instruments that produce insufficient
revenue and burden many businesses. Though tourism increases a country’s gross domestic
product and enables it to grow, it is not costless because it has been considered as an
environmental impact industry due to the consequences it produces. While the economic
benefits increase high production and rate of employment, a deeper look is needed on its
adverse impacts such as ecological degradation and congestion.
When a market demonstrates with negative externalities and external costs, it’s of
shared opinion that the government should introduce an explicit taxation. (Dwyer, Forsyth and
Dwyer, 2016) Taxes may be levied on tourism enterprises and on the tourism consumers hence
correcting the market failures that mainly affect its productive sector. Taxation on the tourists
may involve taxes such as transit tax, value-added tax, departure tax, and bed-night tax. This
taxation produces high revenues that the local nation spends in developing the sector and
incorporating new services for its resident population. The imposition of taxes and setting of
charges have some consequences such as changing the behavior of traders and enterprises by
affecting prices, expenses, and income in the tourism industry or on its products. (Williams,
2015) This can be instituted so as to punish unsustainable practices such as pollution. A rise
of revenue is also a consequence hence using it to mitigate the impact of mass tourism and
support actions such as conserving the microsystem and initiation of community projects
which enhance great sustainability of the local destination or of the specific product. The
collection of eco-tax or green tax has been effective in addressing the problems of mass
tourism as the tax has been spent in the designation state to counter the environmental
damages the specific area faces hence diminishing the adverse effects brought about by
tourism. (Dwyer, Forsyth and Dwyer, 2016)
Conclusion

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Tourism is one of the vital socioeconomic and cultural defined phenomena. It, on one
hand, forms a positive impact on cultural identity as well as bonds of social aspects of a
people but on the other hand, may cause certain qualitative and social degradation to an area.
This may lead to adverse effects on biological and economic diversity. Local authorities
should, therefore, seek ways to maintain sustainable tourism hence eliminating negative
effects and promoting positive ones.

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References
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Brown, F. and Hall, D. (2013). Tourism in peripheral areas. Buffalo, NY: Channel View
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Church, A. (2015). Natural resource taxation policies. Canberra: Centre for Research on
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Cooper, C. (2013). Classic reviews in tourism. Clevedon: Channel View Publications, pp.2-
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Dwyer, L., Forsyth, P. and Dwyer, W. (2016). Tourism economics and policy. Bristol,
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Hazari, B. and Sgro, P. (2014). Tourism, trade and national welfare. Amsterdam: Elsevier,
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Jules, S. (2015). Sustainable tourism in St. Lucia. Winnipeg, Man.: International Institute for
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McGowan, M. (2013). Housing, financial and capital taxation policies to ensure robust
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Mowforth, M. and Munt, I. (2016). Tourism and sustainability. New York, NY: Routledge,
pp.13-23.

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Page, S. (2014). Tourism Management. Florence: Taylor and Francis, pp.65-68.
Williams, S. (2015). New directions and alternative tourism. London: Routledge, pp.27-37.