Due to the size, strength and impact of the tourism industry on local economies worldwide, the debate over the positive and negative effects of tourism is little more than a mental exercise. But to develop sustainable tourism policies, a thoughtful consideration of these effects is necessary.
1. Economic Effects
o Tourism's primary benefit is the profit it brings the local and regional area. But the financial burden shouldered by a community to build and maintain a tourism industry is also a consideration. Tourism development also opens communities to encroachment by offshore corporations providing services to affluent tourists, funneling the biggest profits away from locals.
Environmental Effects
o Although tourism itself can disrupt or destroy ecosystems and environments, tourism can also be the very impetus for conserving an unspoiled landscape otherwise vulnerable to industrial development.
Cultural Effects
o "Culture" is one of the chief consumables of tourism, and experiencing unusual cultures can be educational for the visitor and highly profitable for the community. But tourism is a necessarily invasive process that thrusts traditional communities into the modern world, threatening their distinct lifestyles and cultural products.
Social Effects
o Tourism employment brings new streams of income into a community but also inhibits individuals from performing traditional tasks, making families dependent on cash income from tourism and therefore less likely to participate in time-honored work and social activities.
Political Effects
o Travel is touted as a means to close gaps between peoples, cultures and religions, but the extreme differences of wealth and lifestyle between locals and tourists in some areas can cause resentment.
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