The document discusses the environmental impacts of tourism. It states that the environment is fundamentally changed by tourism activities and developments. Both positive and negative environmental impacts can result from tourism. Positive impacts include environmental preservation efforts, while negative impacts include increased pollution, physical damage to landscapes and attractions, and pressure on natural resources from tourist activities. The document provides examples of both positive and negative environmental impacts at direct, indirect, and induced levels.

1. Slide 6.1
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
The environment and tourism
• The environment whether it is natural or
artificial, is the most fundamental ingredient of
the tourism product.
• However, as soon as tourism activity takes
place, the environment is inevitably changed or
modified either to facilitate tourism or through
the tourism production process.
• Environmental preservation and improvement
programmes are now an integral part of many
development strategies

2. Slide 6.2
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
• The environmental impacts associated with tourism
development, just like the economic impacts, can
be considerd in terms of direct, indirect and
induced effects
• Again some of the impacts can be positive and
some negative
• It is not possible to develop tourism without
incurring environmental impacts, but it is possible,
with correct planning, to manage tourism
development in order to minimize the negative
impacts while encouraging the positive ones.
Fundamentals for the Study
of Environmental Impacts of Tourism

3. Slide 6.3
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
Environmental Impacts
of Tourism
• There is a tendency to get exaggerated in the
literature – focused on the negative and limited with
respect to positive impacts
• It is difficult to determine tolerance levels and limits
of acceptable change in the environment.
• As mentioned before, tourism’s environmental
impacts occur at 3 levels, and what examples can be
provided for positive and negative environmental
impacts at each level?

4. Slide 6.4
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
Examples of
Positive Environmental Impacts
On the positive side, the direct environmental impacts include
the followings;
• The preservation/restoration of ancient monuments, sites
and historic buildings (the Great Wall-China, the Pyramids)
• The creation of national parks and wildlife parks
(Yellowstone Park-USA, the Maasai Mara Park-Kenya)
• The protection of reefs (Australya) and beaches (Grand Anse-
Grenada)
• The maintenance of forests and other natural sites (New
Forest-UK)

5. Slide 6.5
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
• Conservation and preservation may be rated highly
from the point of view of researchers or even
tourists.
• However if such actions are not considered to be
importance from the host’s point of view, it may be
questionable as to whether they can be considered
to be positive environmental impacts.
• When evaluating the net worth of preservation
activities the opportunity costs associated with such
activities must also be taken into consideration.
Positive Environmental Impacts

6. Slide 6.6
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
Negative impacts
• On the negative side, tourism may have direct
environmental impacts on the quality of water, air and
noise levels.
• Sewage disposals into water will add to pollution
problems.
• Increased usage of internal combustion engine for tourist
transportation, oil burning to provide to the power for
hotel equipments all add to diminution(diminish) of air
quality.
• Noise levels may be dramatically increased in urban
areas through nightclubs, and other forms of
entertainment as well as by increased roads and air trafic

7. Slide 6.7
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
Negative Environmental Impacts
Physical deterioration of both natural and built
environment acn have serious consequences as the
followings;
• Hunting and fishing impact on the wildlife env.
• Sand dunes(hills) can be damaged and eroded by overuse
• Vegetation(flora) can be destroyed by walkers
• Camp fires may destroy forests.
• Ancient monuments may be disfigured and damaged by
graffiti, eroded or literally taken away by tourists
• The construction of tourism superstructure utilizes real
estate and may detract(lessen) from the aesthetics
• The improper disposal of litter can detract from the aesthetic
quality of the env. and harm wildlife.

8. Slide 6.8
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
• The erosion of paths to the Pyramids at
Giza –Egypt by the camels used to transprt
tourists
• The dynamiting of Balaclava Bay
(Mauritus) to provide a beachfor tourist use
• The littering of Base Camp on Mount
Everest- Nepal, by tourists and the erosion
of the pathway to this site.
Examples of
Negative Environmental Impacts

9. Slide 6.9
Cooper et al: Tourism: Principles and Practice, 3e Pearson Education Limited 2005, © retained by authors
• The building of high rise hotels on beach fontages is an
environmental impact of tourism that achieves headline
status.
• Tourism activites can put scarce natural resources such
as water, under severe pressure.
• Tourists tend to be far more extravagant with their use
of water than they are at home.
• Tourism is responsible for high levels of air and noise
pollution through the transportation networks and
leisure activities.
• For ex. Air transportation is claimed to be a significant
factor in global warming and tourism is responsible for
the vast majority of intarnational transport.
Negative Environmental Impacts