Mass Tourism and Exploitation
I recently read an article about the exploitation of natural resources in the face of mass tourism in Southern Italy. Southern Italy has so much to offer, from beautiful beaches and sea, to a rich heritage and great architecture, stunning views, great food, and a good time. All these factors has driven large amounts of tourists to Southern Italy… Here’s a picture of me about two years ago travelling in the Amalfi coast with my friend…
I remember vising beautiful caves such as the Emerald grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo), then spending the rest of the day drinking wine, tanning, and enjoying the water from the boat. We were one of hundreds of people there partaking in the same activities. Imagine the impact we all leave on the environment. Would the cave still remain in all its glory if we keep exploiting these niches?
Trufino et al. (2006) wrote the article I read about niche exploitation in Southern Italy. The article was titled “Tour Operators and Alternative Tourism in Italy”. The authors pointed out that if we keep exploiting these niches, we destroy the very thing we seek in the first place. They proposed that Southern Italy could develop an alternative form of tourism concentrated on eco-tourism and preserving the environment. Tour operators could then deliver this message to potential tourists. But as the authors point out, tour operator’s aim for maximized sales.
The demand is so high for the Italian market, and so many people travel there every year for weddings, tours, family trips, or simply a good time. Although what the author offers is a good solution, I think educating the tourist in being more environmentally friendly would work better than shifting the target market, or trying to convince tour operators to work more ethically. The locals and tour leaders can also highly influence tourist behavior. Once the tourist arrives at the destination and observes behaviors associated with sustainability, the tourist will also feel the need to contribute.
With European countries being of such high demand in the tourism industry, mass tourism will always take place in Italy. Especially since in the summer time Italy has the best weather, mass amounts of tourists will want to travel to Italy in the summer time.
Either way Italy will always attract tourists from around the world, who want to experience the culture, food, wine, and the environment. If as tourists we are more conscious of the harm we can do, and realize that we might lose what we love in the process, then we would move towards a more green way of travelling.
