10.1.11

Tourism in Glacial Landscapes

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Impacts of Tourism in Glacial Landscapes

Millions of people visit glacial landscapes in the UK every year. This tourism has economic, social and environmental impacts:

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Economic impacts

  • Tourism is commonly the dominant industry in glacial landscapes. Tourists enjoy visiting ski resorts and mountains for hiking.
  • But, the jobs that tourism provides are often seasonal and don't pay well.
  • Demand for holiday homes drives up the price of property. This can force local people to move out of their home area.
  • Tourism also drives up the cost of living more generally.
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Social impacts

  • Glacial landscapes are often isolated, with not much transport infrastructure. A small increase in the number of cars can lead to very large traffic jams.
  • Glacial landscapes are usually found in places without much parking...
  • Souvenir and gift shops could replace local greengrocers or bakeries if tourists are willing to pay higher prices.
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Environmental impacts

  • Walkers erode footpaths and, over time, landscape scars can form.
  • Tourists bring more litter and noise pollution.
  • Heli-skiing in glaciers involves bringing helicopters to the glaciers and watersports can also disturb animals' habitats.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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