The environmental impacts of tourism have gained increasing attention in recent years.
With the rise in sustainable tourism and an increased number of initiatives for being environmentally friendly, tourists and stakeholders alike are now recognising the importance of environmental management in the tourism industry.
This article explains why the environmental impacts of tourism are an important consideration and outlines the main positive and negative environmental impacts of tourism, with examples.
- Why the environment is so important to tourism
- Positive environmental impacts of tourism
- Negative environmental impacts of tourism
- Environmental impacts of tourism: Conclusion
- Environmental impacts of tourism reading list
Why the environment is so important to tourism
The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, tourism’s relationship with the environment is complex and many activities can have adverse environmental effects if careful tourism planning and management is not undertaken.
It is ironic really, that tourism often destroys the very things that it relies on!
Many of the negative environmental impacts that result from tourism are linked with the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends.
It’s not ALL negative, however!
Tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance.
The sections below outline the ways in which tourism can both protect and damage the environment.
Video: The environmental impacts of tourism
Positive environmental impacts of tourism
Although there are fewer positive environmental impacts of tourism than negative ones, it is important to note that tourism can help to preserve the environment.
The most commonly noted positive environmental impact of tourism is raised awareness. Many destinations promote ecotourism and sustainable tourism and this can help to educate people about the environmental impacts of tourism. Destinations such as Costa Rica and The Gambia have well-established ecotourism initiatives that promote environmentally-friendly activities and resources. There are also many national parks, game reserves and conservation areas around the world that help to promote positive environmental impacts of tourism.
Positive environmental impacts can also be induced through the NEED for the environment. Tourism can often not succeed without the environment due the fact that it relies on it (after all we can’t go on a beach holiday without a beach or go skiing without a mountain, can we?).
Many destinations have organised operations for tasks such as cleaning the beach in order to keep the destination aesthetically pleasant and thus keep the tourists happy. Some destinations have taken this further and put restrictions in place for the number of tourists that can visit at one time.
In 2018, the island of Boracay in the Philippines was closed to tourists for six months to allow it to recover from the environmental damage caused by large-scale tourism, and it reopened with a cap on visitor numbers. Similarly, Maya Bay in Thailand was closed between 2018 and 2022 so that its coral and marine life could recover. While inconvenient for tourists, these are positive examples of environmental management, and similar measures are becoming more common around the world.
Negative environmental impacts of tourism
Negative environmental impacts of tourism occur when the level of visitor use is greater than the environment’s ability to cope with this use.
Uncontrolled conventional tourism poses potential threats to many natural areas around the world. It can put enormous pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as: soil erosion, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on endangered species and heightened vulnerability to forest fires. It often puts a strain on water resources, and it can force local populations to compete for the use of critical resources.
Each of these negative environmental impacts of tourism is explained below.
Depletion of natural resources
Tourism development can put pressure on natural resources when it increases consumption in areas where resources are already scarce. Some of the most common noted examples include using up water resources, land degradation and the depletion of other local resources.
Water resources
The tourism industry generally overuses water resources for hotels, swimming pools, golf courses and personal use of water by tourists. This can result in water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a greater volume of waste water.
In drier regions, such as the Mediterranean, water scarcity is of particular concern. Because of the hot climate and the tendency for tourists to use more water on holiday than they do at home, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has estimated that a tourist in Spain can use up to 440 litres of water a day, almost double the amount used by residents of an average Spanish city. Droughts in recent years have led some Mediterranean destinations to introduce water restrictions for hotels and swimming pools.
Golf course maintenance can also deplete fresh water resources.
In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly.
Golf courses require an enormous amount of water every day and this can result in water scarcity. Furthermore, golf resorts are more and more often situated in or near protected areas or areas where resources are limited, exacerbating their impacts.
According to UNEP, an average golf course in a tropical country such as Thailand needs 1500kg of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides per year and uses as much water as 60,000 rural villagers.
Land degradation
Important land resources include fertile soil, forests, wetlands and wildlife. Unfortunately, tourism often contributes to the degradation of said resources. Increased construction of tourism facilities has increased the pressure on these resources and on scenic landscapes.
Animals are often displaced when their homes are destroyed or when they are disturbed by noise. This may result in increased animals deaths, for example road-kill deaths. It may also contribute to changes in behaviour.
Animals may become a nuisance, by entering areas that they wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) usually go into, such as people’s homes. It may also contribute towards aggressive behaviour when animals try to protect their young or savage for food that has become scarce as a result of tourism development.
Picturesque landscapes are often destroyed by tourism. Whilst many destinations nowadays have limits and restrictions on what development can occur and in what style, many do not impose any such rules. High rise hotels and buildings which are not in character with the surrounding architecture or landscape reduce the aesthetic appeal of a destination.
Forests often suffer negative impacts of tourism in the form of deforestation caused by fuel wood collection and land clearing. UNEP has estimated, for example, that one trekking tourist in Nepal can use four to five kilograms of wood a day.
There are also many cases of erosion, where tourists walk the same path or ski the same slope so frequently that it erodes the natural landscape. Sites such as Machu Picchu in Peru have introduced timed tickets and daily limits on visitor numbers to reduce the damage caused.
Local resources
Tourism can create great pressure on local resources like energy, food, and other raw materials that may already be in short supply. Greater extraction and transport of these resources exacerbates the physical impacts associated with their exploitation.
Because of the seasonal character of the industry, many destinations have ten times more inhabitants in the high season than in the low season.
A high demand is placed upon these resources to meet the high expectations tourists often have (proper heating, hot water, etc.). This can put significant pressure on the local resources and infrastructure, often resulting in the local people going without in order to feed the tourism industry.
Pollution
Tourism can cause the same forms of pollution as any other industry: Air emissions; noise pollution; solid waste and littering; sewage; oil and chemicals. The tourism industry also contributes to forms of architectural/visual pollution.
Air pollution and noise
Transport by air, road and rail is continuously increasing in response to the rising number of tourists and their greater mobility. Tourism is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions: a widely cited study published in Nature Climate Change (Lenzen et al., 2018) estimated that tourism accounts for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with transport, particularly aviation, the largest contributor.
A single long-haul return flight can generate more carbon emissions per passenger than many people in lower-income countries produce in an entire year.
Tools such as the WWF carbon footprint calculator show how much flying can add to an individual’s carbon footprint.
Air pollution from tourist transport has impacts at a global level, especially through CO2 emissions related to transport energy use. It can also contribute to severe local air pollution, and it contributes towards climate change.
Technological advancements in aviation, such as more fuel-efficient aircraft and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), are helping to reduce emissions, although the problem is far from solved. Choosing alternative forms of transport, such as rail, and flying less are the most effective ways for tourists to reduce their impact.
You can also look at ways to offset your carbon footprint.
Noise pollution can also be a concern.
Noise pollution from aircraft, cars, buses, (+ snowmobiles and jet skis etc etc) can cause annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for humans. It also causes distress to wildlife and can cause animals to alter their natural activity patterns. Aircraft noise around major airports such as London Heathrow is a popular dissertation topic for aviation and tourism students.
Solid waste and littering
In areas with high concentrations of tourist activities and appealing natural attractions, waste disposal is a serious problem, contributing significantly to the environmental impacts of tourism.
Improper waste disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural environment. Rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides are areas that are commonly found littered with waste, ranging from plastic bottles to sewage.
Cruise tourism in the Caribbean, for example, is a major contributor to this negative environmental impact of tourism. UNEP has estimated that cruise ships in the region produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year.
The Wider Caribbean Region, stretching from Florida to French Guiana, receives 63,000 port calls from ships each year, and they generate 82,000 tons of rubbish. About 77% of all ship waste comes from cruise vessels. On average, passengers on a cruise ship each account for 3.5 kilograms of rubbish daily, compared with the 0.8 kilograms generated by each person on shore.
In the past, cruise ships often dumped their waste while out at sea. Today, international rules under the MARPOL convention prohibit ships from discharging most types of garbage at sea, and the Wider Caribbean is designated as a Special Area with stricter controls, although illegal dumping is difficult to police on the open ocean.
Solid waste and litter can degrade the appearance of the water and shoreline and cause the death of marine animals. The image below shows the stomach contents of a dead seabird. Birds often mistake floating plastic for food and eat it. They cannot digest plastic, so once their stomachs become full they can starve to death. This is just one sad example of the environmental impacts of tourism. Read more about how to avoid using single-use plastic when you travel.
Mountain areas also commonly suffer at the hands of the tourism industry. In mountain regions, trekking tourists generate a great deal of waste. Expeditions frequently leave behind rubbish, oxygen cylinders and even camping equipment, and on Mount Everest the Nepalese authorities now run regular clean-up campaigns and require climbers to bring their waste back down the mountain. Popular trekking routes such as those on Mount Kilimanjaro face similar challenges.
Sewage
The construction of hotels, recreation and other facilities often leads to increased sewage pollution.
Unfortunately, many destinations, particularly in the developing world, do not strictly enforce laws on sewage disposal. As a result, wastewater has polluted seas and lakes surrounding tourist attractions around the world. This damages the flora and fauna in the area and can cause serious damage to coral reefs.
Sewage pollution threatens the health of humans and animals.
Even in areas that appear pristine, such as mountain streams in popular hiking areas, water can be contaminated by human waste, which is why walkers are advised not to drink untreated water.
Aesthetic Pollution
Often tourism fails to integrate its structures with the natural features and indigenous architecture of the destination. Large, dominating resorts of disparate design can look out of place in any natural environment and may clash with the indigenous structural design.
A lack of land-use planning and building regulations in many destinations has facilitated sprawling developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic routes. The sprawl includes tourism facilities themselves and supporting infrastructure such as roads, employee housing, parking, service areas, and waste disposal. This can make a tourist destination less attractive to visitors.
Physical impacts of tourism development
As well as the impacts of tourism itself, there are a number of physical impacts that arise from the development of the tourism industry. These include the construction of buildings, marinas and roads.
Construction activities and infrastructure development
The development of tourism facilities can involve sand mining, beach and sand dune erosion and loss of wildlife habitats.
The tourist often will not see these side effects of tourism development, but they can have devastating consequences for the surrounding environment. Animals may be displaced from their habitats and the noise from construction may upset them.
Sand mining for construction can be particularly damaging. Removing sand from beaches and dunes for building materials can increase coastal erosion and destroy habitats for nesting turtles and seabirds, and it has been a problem in a number of coastal destinations, including parts of West Africa.
Deforestation and intensified or unsustainable use of land
Construction of ski resort accommodation and facilities frequently requires clearing forested land.
Land may also be cleared to obtain materials used to build tourism sites, such as wood.
Likewise, coastal wetlands are often drained due to lack of more suitable sites. Areas that would be home to a wide array of flora and fauna are turned into hotels, car parks and swimming pools.
Marina development
The building of marinas and ports can also contribute to the negative environmental impacts of tourism.
Development of marinas and breakwaters can cause changes in currents and coastlines.
These changes can have vast impacts ranging from changes in temperatures to erosion spots to the wider ecosystem.
Coral reefs
Coral reefs are especially fragile marine ecosystems. They suffer worldwide from reef-based tourism developments and from tourist activity.
Evidence suggests a variety of impacts to coral result from shoreline development. Increased sediments in the water can affect growth. Trampling by tourists can damage or even kill coral. Ship groundings can scrape the bottom of the sea bed and kill the coral. Pollution from sewage can have adverse effects.
All of these factors contribute to a decline and reduction in the size of coral reefs worldwide. This then has a wider impact on the global marine life and ecosystem, as many animals rely on the coral for as their habitat and food source.
Physical impacts from tourist activities
The last point worth mentioning when discussing the environmental impacts of tourism is the way in which physical impacts can occur as a result of tourist activities.
This includes trampling, anchoring, cruising and diving. The more this occurs, the more damage is caused. Naturally, this is worse in areas with mass tourism and overtourism.
Trampling
Tourists using the same trail over and over again trample the vegetation and soil, eventually causing damage that can lead to loss of biodiversity and other impacts.
Such damage can be even more extensive when visitors frequently stray off established trails. This has been seen at Machu Picchu, as discussed earlier, as well as at many other well-known destinations and attractions.
Anchoring and other marine activities
In marine areas, many tourist activities take place in or around fragile ecosystems.
Anchoring, scuba diving, yachting and cruising are some of the activities that can cause direct degradation of marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. As explained above, this can have a significant knock-on effect on the surrounding ecosystem.
Alteration of ecosystems by tourist activities
Habitats can be degraded by tourism leisure activities.
For example, wildlife viewing can bring about stress for the animals and alter their natural behaviour when tourists come too close. Choosing responsible wildlife tourism operators can help to reduce this impact.
Environmental impacts of tourism: Conclusion
There are a range of environmental impacts that result from tourism. While some are positive, the majority are negative. The answer to many of these problems lies in careful tourism planning and management and the adoption of sustainable tourism principles, alongside more responsible tourism behaviour from tourists.
The environmental impacts of tourism should also be considered alongside the social impacts of tourism and the economic impacts of tourism.
If you are studying the environmental impacts of tourism, the articles below are a useful next step.
Environmental impacts of tourism: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about environmental impacts of tourism.
What are the environmental impacts of tourism?
The environmental impacts of tourism are the effects that tourism has on the natural and built environment. Negative impacts include pollution, the depletion of natural resources such as water, habitat loss and damage to fragile ecosystems. Positive impacts include funding for conservation and raising awareness of environmental issues.
What are the positive environmental impacts of tourism?
Tourism can fund national parks and conservation projects, raise awareness of environmental issues through ecotourism, and encourage destinations to protect the natural features that attract visitors.
What are the negative environmental impacts of tourism?
The main negative environmental impacts of tourism include the depletion of water and other natural resources, land degradation, air and noise pollution, waste and litter, sewage pollution, deforestation, damage to coral reefs and the disturbance of wildlife.
How much does tourism contribute to climate change?
A widely cited study by Lenzen et al. (2018) estimated that tourism accounts for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with transport, especially aviation, the largest source.
How can the environmental impacts of tourism be reduced?
Environmental impacts can be reduced through careful planning, visitor caps, protected areas, environmental regulation and sustainable tourism practices. Tourists can help by flying less, avoiding single-use plastic, saving water, staying on marked trails and choosing responsible operators.
What is an example of a destination closed to protect the environment?
Boracay in the Philippines closed for six months in 2018, and Maya Bay in Thailand closed from 2018 to 2022, to allow their environments to recover from the effects of mass tourism.
Environmental impacts of tourism reading list
- The 3 types of travel and tourism organisations
- 150 types of tourism! The ultimate tourism glossary
- 50 fascinating facts about the travel and tourism industry
- What is sustainable tourism?
- Ecotourism explained
- Overtourism explained
- What is responsible tourism?
