The impact of tourism
Eco-tourism brings to mind countryside, mountains, rivers, rain forests and unique experiences in an unspoilt natural rural environment. Defining "eco-tourism" varies from country to country and from an organisation to another. In contrast, the term...
Eco-tourism brings to mind countryside, mountains, rivers, rain forests and unique experiences in an unspoilt natural rural environment. Defining "eco-tourism" varies from country to country and from an organisation to another. In contrast, the term "sustainable" is present in most such definitions, thus emphasising fair trade with and environmental conservation for the sake of future generations.
Tourism is the world's biggest industry: It accounts for 10.4 per cent of global GDP and provides 8.1 per cent of jobs worldwide (an estimated 200 million). The holiday business is a highly competitive, global industry dominated by large western corporations. Where companies own resorts and hotels, major profits flow right back to the rich, industrialised nations. The result being that the people living in several tourism destinations and who are responsible for making holidays so pleasurable frequently suffer because of the environmental, social and cultural impact of tourism.
The organisation Tourism Concern has been for years campaigning for ethical and fairly traded tourism. It has conducted surveys worldwide and published shocking reports to raise awareness on sustainable tourism. The following are a few excerpts it published and sent to UK tour operators to highlight its concern.
Mountain trekking
It's exhilarating, it's beautiful and it's challenging. But how many of us could do it without the porters who carry our luggage and equipment? Porters are an essential part of treks, but the reality of their working conditions comes as a shock.
Frostbite, altitude sickness, feet amputation and even death can be the cost of the porters carrying trekkers' equipment in the Himalayas, on the Inca Trail in Peru and on Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.
A myth seems to have been created that porters are superhuman. That the massive weights Nepalese porters carry, the cold and the high altitudes are nothing to them. Nepalese porters suffer four times more accidents and illnesses than western trekkers. To make matters worse, there are many reports of porters being abandoned by tour groups when they fall ill. Porters have even been abandoned in life-threatening blizzards while trekkers were rescued by helicopter.
And it's not just the Himalayas - the problems are repeated worldwide. In the most extreme cases, porters believe they are simply seen as beasts of burden. In the words of a Peruvian porters' syndicate: "We suffer humiliation upon humiliation, and are treated as less than human". A tour operator in Pakistan is even more direct; the way porters are treated, he says, amounts to modern slavery.
Tourism in Burma
Burma's military regime is one of the most brutal and tyrannical in the world. The junta had declared 1996 as "Visit Myanmar Year" (Myanmar is the name given to Burma by the junta). They hoped to increase tourism to 250,000 visitors a year from just a few thousand in order to earn foreign exchange. To prepare the country for tourism, many thousands of people were enlisted as slave labour on tourism-related projects such as the clean-up of the Mandalay moat, the construction of roads, railways, power stations and airports. Thousands more were evicted from their homes in order to "beautify" historic areas for tourists and to widen roads.
Money earned from tourism goes directly to prop up the brutal military regime.
Tourism in the Maldives
Tourism in the Maldives has the potential to stop poverty and improve local living conditions. But this is not happening... Nearly half of the local population is living on just over $1 a day which according to international standards means they are living in poverty. Fresh fruit and vegetables go directly to tourist islands, bypassing local people - the UN recently found over 30 per cent of Maldivian children under five suffering from malnutrition - a situation as acute as sub-Saharan Africa.
Local people are unable to speak out about these awful conditions. The government continues to impose severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Unfair trial, torture and imprisonment occur all too often.
All-inclusive trips
All-inclusive trips (where board, meals and entertainment are included in the price and provided within the resort) are very popular with British tourists, but are often vehemently opposed by local people. In The Gambia, a survey of local people dependent on the tourism industry found 99 per cent opposed to such packages because local restaurants, bars, guides and taxi drivers were losing business to the resorts, which are mainly controlled by rich foreign companies.
In Thailand, families living crudely in huts in rural areas have to endure group tourists inside their homes watching them all day without a break. Their privacy has been destroyed completely. They have to answer questions, they cannot accept donations and they cannot complain.
Nature reserves and leisure facilities
Many are the farmers who have been excluded from nature reserves selected for eco-tourists, leaving the farmers and their families landless and having to fend for themselves in impoverished habitats.
Eco-tourism should not stop - locals need the work. But the roots of the problem needs to be tackled. Policies and practices of the tour operators, who the locals ultimately work for, need to be continuously updated. But in the UK, the majority of operators are not yet addressing human rights and working conditions.
Tourism Concern believes that fair trade in tourism offers an opportunity for real change where the less fortunate would benefit the most. Workers' views are being included through research and consultation exercises. In fact, Tourism Concern have worked with the trekking industry and with tour operators within the UK - and have achieved positive results: 41 out of 80 operators now have policies on porters. As part of their ongoing work, they have released an update on experiences of good practice for trekking operators to ensure that porters' conditions keep on improving.
It is essential that we all continue to ask the right questions when going trekking to ensure that locals are not left out in the cold but have decent working conditions. Through the Fair Trade in Tourism work campaigns, Tourism Concern is seeking to focus on solutions rather than problems. They intend to highlight industry initiatives that promote good management and trade practice, facilitating the exchange of ideas among the three key stakeholders: tourists, tour operators and destination communities.
Corporate social responsibility is of growing importance to the travel and tourism industry as part of sustainable tourism development. With an increasing percentage of customers favouring tourism that benefits the local community and surrounding environments, this issue is an essential one to be addressed by modern progressive management.
A personal experience in a rainforest left incredible memories. Being surrounded by wet, lush vegetation and curious calls and sounds was fascinating yet relaxing. I was struck by the massive palm trees of all shapes and sizes and by the beauty of a few exotic, brightly coloured flowers in the shape of birds which stood out against the intense green backdrop. The light was scarce, with no sunrays, yet it was warm and comfortable. The unfamiliar scents of the wet foliage was oh so pleasant. I could have walked for days on end!
Similar holidays offer real breaks and should not be hindered. However careful planning can help the less fortunate and prove that eco-tourism can really be sustainable.