Environmental impact of tourism

This study takes a case study of Pyynikki Recreational Centre which is known for its natural beauty and picturesque. This paper will give literature on both positive and negative environmental impacts of tourism, then it will provide case study analysis to provide evidence to cement its stand point, then finally it will give detailed conclusion to sum up key points discussed in the entire paper. Introduction Over the past few years, there has been increased attention drawn to conservation of environment due to some of the prevailing side effects that poor management of the environment has subjected people to. As a result, this has ended up at cultivating curiosity of the relationship existing between the environment and the tourism industry. Most developed nations as well as some developing nations, in various ways the tourism has been quoted to impact the environment hence attracting researchers to narrow down to the effects that tourism activities have on the environment such as; the effects of ecotourism in preserving the environments` natural beauty as well as an increased need to create awareness on the possible challenges that exist in tourism industry at the developing countries, (Mason, 2015).

Additionally, revenues collected from tourism levies which are charged on some tourism facilities for instance recreational equipment as well as licensing fees collected from some tourism activities; (Mason, 2015), porting activities, hunting and fishing. Tourism plays critical role in in enhancing conservation of natural beauty, raising awareness on special constraints that face developing nations such as the environmental matters mostly in developing nations. Research has shown that besides tourism being a rich source of foreign exchange to nations, it is a proven source of funding to promote conservation of the environment, improving livelihoods of the local people and their environments in an effort to create attractive scenes that favor tourists. The case for developed and developing nations is that tourism plays critical role in protecting the endangered species which in turn prevents these species from getting instinct hence becoming a reliable source for revenues from tourists who come to see those species.

In an effort to boost tourism and tourism activities, governments in both developing and developed countries source for funding from in order to make their natural environments appealing for tourist’s attraction. Tourism has been richly used as a unifying factor since it brings people together and so close to the environment as well as nature. According to (Egresi, 2016), governments promote conscious initiatives that are environmentally friendly which makes people move closer to preserving the environments in which they live. Therefore, tourism activities are centrally critical in provision of information on tourism industry about the environment. Some of the information relevant is creation of awareness to the tourists about the consequences their actions have on the environment. Further research shows that tourism activities have greater impact on restoration, conservation of biodiversity, and the protection aspect of the environment.

Research has shown that as government and the private sector make efforts to construct more hotels, resorts and other necessary infrastructure for the purposes of tourists, this leads to a good number of negative vices on the environment such as; the growing constraint about how to dispose solid waste especially for areas where there are many resorts and hotel operations. Again, tourists dominated areas are subject to products` waste which is biodegradable which is also accompanied by poor disposal of environmentally harmful sewage waste in unrecommended ways. The ultimate implication of the above-mentioned negative practices is that they lead to critical health consequences, and adverse environmental implications. A good example is poor management of untreated sewage leads to growth and development of aquatic life and contamination of ground water.

Further research according to (Mowforth & Munt, 2015), shows that another adverse environmental challenge that can be associated with tourism activities is poor management of coral reefs which is done by divers who interfere with the flora and the fauna. However, the negative implications of tourism to the environment are factors just within human control and therefore, the government of any nation can exercise mitigation measures to control that. This research takes a general dimension that positive impacts of tourism activities on any given environment are the most conspicuous aspects which have more weight than the controllable negative impacts of tourism on the environment. For instance, tourism is a good unifying factor which brings people together from different regions across the world. Again, it is a rich source of foreign exchange and a source for revenue for both developed and developing nations.