Tourism
Holidays Holidays Holidays!
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Checklist for revision
What is tourism?
Tourism is defined as travel away from your home environment, for leisure, holidays
and to visit friends and family. A tourist is the person making the trip.
How has tourism grown?
When we refer to the fact the tourism has grown, what we actually mean is the
number of international tourist arrivals has increased. This just means the
number of people making a tourist trip in a year.
Since 1950, international tourist arrivals have grown from around 30 million to 700
million in 2005. In 2012 that number had increased to 980 million! Tourism is the
world’s largest industry, generating billions of $ a year!
Why has tourism grown so much?
Look at the 9 reasons below. Some are economic, some are social and some are
political.
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CASE STUDY
Why has Kota Kinabalu and the state of Sabah developed as a tourist
destination?
Our city of Kota Kinabalu is located in East Malaysia , in the state of Sabah on the
coast of the South China Sea
Kota Kinabalu has grown as as tourist destination. In 2000 there were 774,475
tourist arrivals , and this has grown to 2,844,597 in 2012!
Numbers continue to rise- Why?
What physical features do KK and Sabah have that have allowed it to
become a tourist attraction?
– Beaches at Tanjung Aru
– Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park ( island of Gaya, Sapi etc) just off the coast-
easily accessible
– Surrounded by jungle in which to do jungle trekking
– Klias wetlands are close by for wildlife spotting
– Surrounded by the Crocker Range Mountains- where Mount Kinabalu- SE Asia’s
tallest mountain is only 2 hours away
What human features do KK and Sabah have that have allowed it to
become a tourist attraction?
– Easy access from KL major Asia Airport Hub ( several airlines cover this route)
– Variety of cultures in Sabah which people come to see ( Kadazan, Chinese, Indian,
Malay, Murut)
– Food markets ( Night Market)
– Many top class hotels ( Shangri La)
– Variety of temples and mosques
The positive and negative effects of tourism
Tourism can be good and bad for a destination depending on how you look at it. Look
at the points below which give the positive and negative effects of tourism split into
the following categories…
Economic effects= an effect on business, jobs or the economy
Social effects = an effect on people and their cultures
Environmental effects = an effect on nature
CASE STUDY: The benefits and problems of tourism in Jamaica
Benefits of tourism to Jamaica
– Contributed $1.2 billion to the economy
– Indirect economic benefits are at almost $3.8 billion
– 92,000 people employed directly in tourism
– Revenue from tourism helps the government fund healthcare and education
– Roads and airports have been improved
– Three National Parks set up- funded by tourist entry tickets to conserve wildlife
Problems of tourism to Jamaica
– 25% of tourist workers have no job from May-November in rainy season when there
are less tourists
– There is a lot of traffic congestion and litter at popular destinations
– Water is often in short supply due to the heavy use from the tourist industry
– Clashes between tourists and locals
How can tourism be made more sustainable?
Sustainable Eco-tourism: A form of tourism where people visit an area but their
holiday does little harm to the environment and can help local people.
Key principles
The resort should cause little to no harm to the environment
Local people should not be negatively affected
Local people should be part of the resort and benefit from it
MINI CASE STUDIES: SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Below are three mini case studies of eco tourist resorts which we looked at. Each
bullet point represents one thing that the resort does to stick to the principles of
sustainable ecotourism
Morgan’s Rock, Nicaragua
Water heated by solar panels
Lighting is sympathetic to animals
No air conditioning or mini bar
Farm produces 70% of food used in resort
Nature reserve protects the wildlife
Plant trees in reserve
Local guides are employed by the hotel
Atlas Mountains, Morocco: Kasbah du Toubkal
Use a mule or walk to hotel
5% added to bill to pay for local schools, ambulance and waste disposal
Local people staff the hotel so tourists learn their culture
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Sleep in tents – can move easily with no harm to environment
Use solar panels
Maasai employed in resort so people learn their culture
Only 18 tourists at a time
Use bikes to go to Maasai village
Money is used for schools and water supply
