Benefits of Tourism
Geography: KS3, topic 6.1.3
Economic Benefits of Tourism
Tourism can have positive economic effects on the receiving area. The receiving area is the place tourists go to on holiday (the destination, resort, city etc. that they stay at while away on holiday/vacation).
What are the economic impacts of tourism?
- Tourism means more foreign income (money), which is good for the economy.
- Tourism brings jobs for local people.
- These jobs are usually in the tertiary sector, so include jobs in transport, entertainment, retail etc.
What are the social and cultural impacts of tourism?
- Quality of life improves if more people are in work (in the tourism industry).
- The newly built services and attractions also can be used by locals.
- Cultural mixing means that people will be more tolerant by learning about each other.
- Because visitors want to see them, historical cultural sites may be preserved when they might not have been if it weren’t for tourism.
- Large events like the Olympics and the football World Cup can improve cultural understanding by making people mix.
What are the environmental impacts of tourism?
- To protect animals from poachers, some places set up national parks or safari parks because wild animals are the main attraction.
- E.g. the Maasai Mara game reserve.
- Rules are made to protect coral reefs because they are big tourist attractions e.g. off the coast of Cairns in Australia.
- To promote being eco-friendly, ecotourism has been created to reduce people’s carbon footprint and involve people more in environmental issues.
Test yourself on Benefits of Tourism
In which sector are most jobs a result of tourism?
Which of the following is NOT an environmental benefit of tourism?