Tourism impact

Student: Constanza Miranda Gonzlez

Module: PIN 417 Competencias Comunicativas

Integradas en el Ingls IV: mbito Productivo Regional.

Professor: Nicolle Suazo

Date: June 28th, 2017

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The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines tourism as the
activities of persons who travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more
than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other
purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited."
(Supporting tourism, 2013)

Undeniably, tourism is an activity that many people certainly enjoy because of a variety of
reasons. Many believe that having the opportunity of traveling has become an element related
to quality of life for people since we live in a society where people are usually stressed out
and thus they look forward to instances where they can relax and forget a little about
preoccupations. It is common that many people travel during the holidays because they see
traveling as a way to break the routine, discover new places and cultures, try new adventures,
etc. When people travel they make use of various services: accommodation services,
transportation services, food-and-beverage services, among others.

Tourism in Chile is under the

responsibility of the Under
Secretary for Tourism within
the Ministry of Economy,
Development and Tourism. The
Under Secretary, together with
the Inter-Ministerial Committee
on Tourism and the
Consultative Council for Tourism Development, is in charge of defining and implementing
the national tourism policy and strategies. The National Tourism Service (SERNATUR) has
the responsibility of executing the policies and strategies (OECD, 2016).

Chile has very attractive characteristics for tourists: rich gastronomy, beautiful landscapes,
interesting culture, etc. More and more tourists arrive each year to our country, last year
Chile set an historical record as it received 5,640,700 foreign tourists, 26% more compared
to 2015. Luis Felipe Cspedes (Minister of economy, development and tourism) said at the
beginning of this year that this increase is due to the strategies that the Government has
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carried out through a focused international marketing plan, which includes a new
international promotion campaign. (SERNATUR, 2017)

Tourism has an economic impact, sociocultural impact, and environmental impact (Blanco,
et al., 2007). In regard with this matter, it is also important to refer to sustainable tourism: a
type of tourism that considers the economic, sociocultural, and environmental impact of this
industry (World Tourism Organization, no date).

Firstly, tourism has a great impact on economy: Around the world tourism is one of
the fastest growing sectors. Tourism accounts for 10.2% of global GDP (World travel &
tourism council, 2017) whereas in Chile tourism is responsible for 3.2 % of the GDP (OECD,
2016). A goal set by the government in its national strategy for tourism (2012-2020) is to
increase the tourism industrys contribution to overall GDP from 3.2% to 6% by 2020
(Beltran, et al., 2013). Besides, tourism is very important in terms of employment, the
(tourism) sector generates 1 out of 10 sources of work in the world (World travel & tourism
council, 2017).

According to the latest travel & tourism competitiveness report of the World Economic
Forum (2017), Chile is the second most competitive South American country in tourism. Luis
Felipe Cspedes (Minister of economy, development and tourism) in 2016 affirmed that the
price of the dollar is important to strengthen tourism and to make it more competitive with
respect to the other countries with which Chile competes.

Seasonality is an important factor that has to be mentioned because it is something that affects
the tourism industry and its economy a great deal. High season and low season are terms that
are widely known when referring to tourism services. In high season, the concentration of
tourists is usually higher and this is reflected, for instance, on high volumes of traffic on
highways or on how touristic destinations can be more crowded in specific weeks or months
of the year. High season is a period when there is a high demand of tourism services as many
people prefer to travel during the summer period or holidays. Traveling in high season is
more expensive for tourists but this does not stop them from traveling during this time. In the
last years, agencies and companies have promoted traveling in low season offering reduced
prices and therefore the number of people who take advantage of these discounts and decide
to travel during this period of the year has increased.
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Seasonality may be seen as a problem that should be overcome for a lot of people especially
for those whose source of work is tourism. Some jobs in the tourism sector may be
characterized by a sense of vulnerability and instability caused by seasonality, for example
if the climate conditions are not good or if a natural disaster has occurred the number of
tourist arrivals might decrease drastically. Furthermore, there might be some degree of
dependency on specific activities in relation with workers income.

As stated in the national strategy for tourism (2012-2020), authorities have identified the
effect that seasonality has on tourism and they have taken actions in the matter. The national
tourism service has been responsible of boosting social tourism initiatives through the
creation and implementation of different programs: senior holiday program, study tour
program, etc. and many people have been benefited from these programs.

Secondly, tourism has a big sociocultural impact. Tourism consists of interaction

between the host communities and visitors and their behavior and values coming into play.
The reason why tourists decide to visit a certain destination may be because the culture of
the country may seem attractive to them and they are interested in learning more about it.
Tourists generally intend to know more about the culture of a country by looking for
distinctive and typical features of the place which make it unique: traditional food,
handicrafts, historical sites, etc. Every country has customs and even some of them have strict
rules, these elements are part of the identity of a country and it is important for tourists to
keep them in mind when traveling in order to avoid problems and enjoy the travel experience
to the maximum. Usually tourists understand the fact that every country has its own culture
and they respect the norms and customs. However, in some cases tourists show inappropriate
attitudes and in that way they do not only disrespect the countrys tradition but its people too.
In these kind of situations, conflict may be generated between the host community and
visitors.

Infrastructure is a big element related to tourism and initiatives may be developed to improve
the infrastructure of a place, for example new facilities can be built such as hotels, bus
stations, airports, etc. These actions may be taken as a way to respond to the continuous
growth that the tourism industry is experiencing and it is important to weight the positive and
negative effects that these actions can have. Locals may agree or disagree with these kind of
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measures. In the cases where locals disagree with the construction of a facility and the facility
is constructed anyway, locals may get the feeling that they are not heard and that their rights
are not respected.

It is essential to understand that socio-cultural impacts are ambiguous: the same objectively
described impacts are seen as beneficial by some groups, and are perceived as negative by
others. (United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), no date)

Thirdly, as almost every other industry tourism has a great environmental impact.
Nowadays, our planet is being affected by environmental issues and people should be
conscious about these environmental issues and also about the effect that tourism has on the
environment. Tourism involves the use of many resources, among these are natural resources
like water, land, etc. Tourism development can put pressure on natural resources through
overconsumption in areas where resources are already scarce (Global development research
center, no date).

Tourism has an impact on the environment in

the destination country and at the global level.
The environmental impacts of tourism at the
destination include: depletion of natural
resources, pollution, and physical impacts. At
the global level, tourism can have an impact on
biological diversity, the ozone layer and climate.
It has been estimated that tourism contributes up
to 5.3% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas
emissions (OECD, 2008).

The graph shows that in terms of tourism more

than 70% of CO2 emissions are generated by
transport services. These figures are alarming
and suggest the implementation of means of transport that are friendlier to the environment.

A point which was previously mentioned is infrastructure, specifically the construction of

facilities, and its sociocultural impact. However, this does not only have a sociocultural
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impact but also an impact on the environment. The graph sows that, after transport services,
accommodation services contribute to 21% of CO2 emissions.

Even though it is unusual, in some cases tourists can do harmful things to the environment
like in 2011 when Israelis caused a fire in Torres del Paine.

Usually tourism can serve as a way to raise awareness about the issues that the earth is facing
and to promote the conservation of the environment. When people travel they generally get
fascinated with the sceneries that they encounter and this makes them reflect about the current
environmental situation and the things that can or should be done to improve it.

It is stated in the national strategy for tourism (2012-2020) that tourism is the main promoter
of the conservation of the environment, of heritage, and of the cultural identity of
communities. Furthermore, through tourism values that inspire sustainability can be put into
practice and those values can be transmitted to the rest of society.

Lastly, it is necessary to refer to sustainable tourism which can be defined as "Tourism

that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts,
addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities" (World
Tourism Organization, no date).

In 2015 the Under Secretary for Tourism was for the first time provided with a budget of
USD 100 million for supporting short, medium and long term actions to implement the
National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2014-18 (OECD, 2016). Diversification
of experiences, destinations development, strengthening of quality and human capital,
incentive to internal tourism with an inclusive approach, and national and international
promotion are the goals included in the National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development
2014-18.

The tourism industry in Chile has decided to move towards a sustainable tourism
development in joint efforts from the government and the private sector. As a result, they
implemented The National System for Distinction of Sustainable Tourism: Distinction S -
the certification program of The National Tourism Service. The national system for
distinction of sustainable tourism has been recognized internationally by The Global
Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). (Global Sustainable Tourism Council, 2014)
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Across the county 90 tourism companies approximately have obtained the Distinction S
(SERNATUR, 2017). In our tourist industry this can be a very important or useful tool in the
way to achieve sustainability in the sector, it allows tourists to identify and possibly choose
sustainable options and also get informed and be aware of this approach called sustainable
tourism. It would be ideal that in the future more and more tourism companies would apply
sustainability and obtain the Distinction S.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant

stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus
building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant
monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures
whenever necessary (World Tourism Organization, no date).

In conclusion, even though people may not realize it, the tourism industry has a great
economic, sociocultural, and environmental impact. In economic terms, in the last years the
industry has continuously grown. Tourism contributes to global and national GDP and
generates jobs for thousands of people around the world. More people are travelling each
year whether it is abroad or within their own country, while they do so they make use of
different services such as accommodation services, transport services, among others.
Tourism and its economy is affected by a phenomenon called seasonality which makes the
tourism sector and people who work in it dependent on a specific season and conditions that
they cannot control like climate, natural disasters, etc. In the sociocultural aspect, tourism
consists of interaction between locals and visitors and other elements like the values and
beliefs that they have. It is important for tourists to consider the values, customs, rules, etc.
of the country they are visiting and do not disrespect the culture or people from that place.
Based on these elements, the relation that is developed between locals and visitors may vary:
they can coexist harmoniously or problems may arise and conflict may be generated between
them. Other cause of conflict may be the construction of facilities and the locals
disagreement with these actions. Regarding the environmental impact, currently
environmental issues like climate change and pollution are affecting our planet. The tourism
sector contributes to these issues, specifically transport services. However, tourism can be a
way for people to become aware about the current environmental situation and a way to
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promote the conservation of the environment. In the last years, people have noticed the
impact that tourism can have and a new kind of tourism has been developed: sustainable
tourism.

References
Beltran, D. C., Clark, L., Daley, G., Estes, I., Farrell, M., Gordon, N., . . . Steele, S. (2013). Chile's
sustainable tourism program.

Blanco, H., Ruiz-Dana, A., Marn, A., Alonso, V., Silva, C. P., & Lucidi, S. (2007). International trade
and sustainable tourism in Chile. International institute for sustainable development.

Global development research center. (no date). Environmental impacts of tourism. Retrieved from
Environmental impacts of tourism: https://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/envi/one.html

Global Sustainable Tourism Council. (2014). Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Retrieved from
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for-distinction-of-sustainable-tourism-achieves-recognized-global-sustainable-tourism-
council-status-for-its-standard/

OECD. (2008). Environmental Outlook to 2030.

OECD. (2016). OECD Tourism Trends and Policies.

OECD. (2016). OECD Tourism Trends and Policies.

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extranjeros-alcanza-record-en-2016-5-millones-640-mil-personas-visitaron-chile/

SERNATUR. (2017). SERNATUR. Retrieved from SERNATUR: https://www.sernatur.cl/chile-apuesta-

por-la-sustentabilidad-y-suma-90-empresas-turisticas-con-sello-s/

Supporting tourism. (2013). Retrieved from Supporting tourism:

http://www.tourism.gc.ca/eic/site/034.nsf/eng/h_00055.html

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (no date). UNEP. socio-cultural impacts.
Retrieved from UNEP. socio-cultural impacts:
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hyTourism/ImpactsofTourism/SocioCulturalImpacts/tabid/78780/Default.aspx

World Tourism Organization. (no date). Sustainable Development of Tourism. Retrieved from
Sustainable Development of Tourism: http://sdt.unwto.org/content/about-us-5

World travel & tourism council. (2017). Travel & tourism: economic impact 2017.

World travel & tourism council. (2017). Travel & tourism: economic impact 2017 world.