Tourists or Environmental Terrorists?
"How dare you?!" Those words by Greta Thunberg quickly made news all over the world as she pleaded with the leaders at the United Nations conference in 2019. One brave girl trying to make a big difference. Are we listening, though? Are you making any changes to do your part? The world around us is struggling, and we all need to wake up. Tourism is experiences that leave impressions on people's lives. Connecting with others spreads knowledge and gives an exchange of ideas. The tourism industry has helped improve the lives of millions of people around the world. It creates jobs and brings in money to communities, but it also brings irreversible damages. It could make places throughout the world unsustainable. Without balance, tourism can create adverse environmental, economic, and cultural effects on the planet and humankind.
The environmental impact of tourism has had lasting effects on places around the world. Do tourists belong in the Amazon rainforest? Are they benefiting it or negatively impacting it? Too many people can disrupt the entire ecological state of the environment. People spread disease and leave trash. Should they be trampling in such a majestic place? As it shows in the movie Gringo Trails, the majestic beach of Haad Rin in Thailand went from rarely touched by outsiders to being littered with the trash of thousands of tourists. Is a good time worth it? Is making a few bucks worth losing such beauty?
The image above is of the beautiful beach of Haad Rin and the aftermath of one of their New Year’s parties.
As a Michigander, I began to think of my home, and the effects tourism is having. People come from all over the world to visit Michigan every year. According to Travel Michigan, tourists spend around 25 billion per year in Michigan. The top reason people come to Michigan is to see the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are precious, and when looking at the impact that pollution can have on an industry, we need to do our part to make sure we help follow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If our lakes are not clean and safe, people aren't going to visit them. For instance, the Flint water crisis. People all over the United States know about the contaminated water in Flint, and they are not going to be booking a trip to visit anytime soon. The hospitality industry is still suffering from this incident that began in 2014. If we don't take care of our Great Lakes, we aren't going to have a selling point anymore. Travelers will avoid us like the plague.
The image of the SDGs was found in a blog by Chris Hoy called, Can the SDGS be achieved by 2030? Chris Hoy shares his thoughts and makes some valid points. His blog can be found here: Can the SDGs be achieved by 2030?
Money makes the world go round. The economic impact that tourism brings to communities is life changing. The movie Gringo Trails shows how one man's terrifying experience created a whole tourism industry for that area. It helped their community and improved the lives of the people. The death toll lowered as the people gained wealth and were able to better themselves. Although tourism brings in money for the short term, what about the long-term effects? Some places aren't sustainable enough to handle so much pressure from people and all that comes with them. How profitable is it for a city that has to deal with the aftermath of the lasting damage that comes with tourists?
Besides the environmental and economic impact of tourism, there's also a cultural impact. "Tourism is really about selling nature and cultural heritage," says National Geographic Traveler editor Costas Christ. Cultural integration brings a swap of knowledge. It has helped the people of this planet grow. As shown in the documentary film Vendemmia, Bhutan, China, follows a philosophy called Gross National Happiness. Ideas like these help spread a culture of peace and unity. The GNP philosophy guides the government in Bhutan. Similar philosophies have been shared for centuries and it has made us better people. With the good influences of culture can also come the bad. People rub off on each other, and sometimes their worst traits influence others. As was also shown in the movie Vendemmia the people of Italy are desperately trying to preserve their culture. Once we immerse with others, we begin to lose a bit of ourselves. We must not lose who we are.
The above image is the Gross National Happiness 9 Domains of Measurement which was found at this site here.
Tourism is not going anywhere, and it all boils down to balance. People need to be educated on the importance of following the customs of other countries. To respect the people and the environment in which they visit. Once tourism is under control, it can be a wonderful experience for everyone. The hospitality industry needs to do its part to follow the SDGs to make sure they are helping make the world a better place. They can take part in better waste programs, recycle, replace old light bulbs, and fix leaking sinks to limit water waste. If the hospitality industry got on board with the world and did their part to follow the SDGs, it would profoundly reduce our carbon footprint. If everyone takes action, we can continue to visit new places or favorite getaways, as long as we remember to be informed tourists and not environmental terrorists.
Metta McLeod ~ May 24, 2021
Trending Now: SDG Update - May 24, 2021. http://sdg.iisd.org/sdg-update/
Also Trending Now: Six Young Activists Making Waves. https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2021/0521/1223023-6-young-climate-activists-making-waves/
Sources:
https://devpolicy.org/can-the-sdgs-be-achieved-by-2030-20150924/
https://gnhusa.org/gross-national-happiness/
https://greenglobaltravel.com/gn/
https://ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/
https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2019/05/2019-national-travel-and-tourism
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/full-moon-party-thailand-ends-7083649
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/763452863/transcript-greta
