Tourism and Environment PDF

FOOD FOR THOUGHT “The business of tourism is in reality the renting out of the environment. It is therefore imperative for the industry to ensure that its ‘product’ is kept safe, unsullied and fresh, not only for the next day but for every tomorrow” (Sir Colin Marshall, former chairman of British A...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT “The business of tourism is in reality the renting out of the environment. It is therefore imperative for the industry to ensure that its ‘product’ is kept safe, unsullied and fresh, not only for the next day but for every tomorrow” (Sir Colin Marshall, former chairman of British Airways)  ENVIRONMENT — The word environment originates from the French word environner which means to encircle or surround. — ‘The total surroundings of man, which sustains him/her, including flora, fauna, landforms, water bodies etc.’ — The environment therefore constitutes life-support systems which the IUCN describes as the biophysical processes "that sustain the productivity, adaptability and capacity for renewal of lands, waters, and/or the biosphere as a whole." RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT Tourism as a human activity requires the use of resources, and interaction with the environments. — Environmental resources such as forests, water bodies and archaeological sites serve as tourist attractions. Also, environmental resources such as minerals, energy, water and wood are used in various ways for producing goods and services for tourists’ consumption. — Throughout the history of tourism the environment of places, including scenic sites; amenable climates; unique landscapes; lush vegetation; pristine and coconut-fringed beaches have been the main tourist attractions. — Thus tourism activities are influenced by the environmental situation of a destination. — On the other hand, tourism development and tourist activities also impact negatively on the environment. Tourism contains the seed to its own destruction.  THREE POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT — Conflict: This happens when tourism produces negative effects on the environment. This is the situation in most tourist destinations. Most documented relationships between tourism and the environment fall into this category. — Coexistence: Both tourism and environment promote their respective positions. Tourism and the environment exist in isolation and establish little contact with each other. This situation does not last because of the substantial changes in the environment, which occur with the growth of mass tourism. — Symbiosis: Tourism and conservation may enjoy a mutually supportive or symbiotic relationship. In this situation, each benefits the other. The environment supplies clean and attractive environment for tourism development and tourism in turn provides the resources and opportunities for conservation.  COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT — The living and non-living things that surround us including air, water, minerals, soil, and living organisms. These can be grouped broadly into two classes namely, biotic and abiotic components. 1. Biotic components: These are all the living components of the environment such as plants, animals and micro-organisms. It also includes how living organisms interact and their mutual influences. COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2. Abiotic components: These are the non- living components of the environment  COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2. Abiotic components is made up of; — Atmosphere: The thin layer of gases that envelops the earth. It consists of a complex mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ozone as well as water vapour and particulate material. — Hydrosphere: This is the body of water on the earth’s surface. It covers about 71% of the earth’s surface and includes oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.  COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT — Lithosphere: The earth's crust is the outermost solid land surface of the planet. This crust is composed of minerals. It covers the entire surface of the earth from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. — Biosphere: This is part of the earth’s surface and atmosphere containing the ecosystem including air, land, surface rocks and water where there are living things ranging from bacterium to mammals. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES FOR TOURISM — The history of tourism indicates that the environment of places contributed to the birth and progress of tourism. scenic sites; amenable climates; unique landscapes; lush vegetation; pristine and coconut- fringed beaches. Etc. etc. — Tourism activities are promoted, conditioned and influenced by the environmental circumstances of each region. In other words, environmental conditions and features could either facilitate or impede tourism activities. Cook et al, (1992) sums this up by indicating that ‘the environment is the travel industry’s base product’. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. 1. Water resources: All living organisms need water in order to survive. In fact, one cannot survive a week without water. Animals and humans are composed of 50-60% water. What are the uses of water in the tourism industry? — Water covers about 71% of the earth’s surface. Ironically, only 3% of the world’s stock of water is freshwater out of which only 0.003% is readily available for use. — This available freshwater is maintained through the hydrologic cycle. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. 2. Climatic resources Climate encompasses the average weather conditions pertaining to a place over a long period of time. The characteristics of climate include temperature, wind, cloud, precipitation, humidity and sunshine. Climate significantly affects the hospitality industry both positively and adversely. It is a major tourist attraction which facilitates tourist activities such as sunbathing, surfboarding, hiking and canoeing in some tourist destinations. Different climatic conditions are essential for the sustenance of different plants and animal species.  ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. 3. Energy resources Energy is the capacity to do work and transfer heat. It is energy that gets work done and sets the wheels of industries in motion. Non-renewable energy is energy resources which are fixed in supply in the earth’s crust and can therefore be depleted. They include oil, natural gas, uranium and coal. Renewable energy resources on the other hand, can be replenished or renewed through geological processes. Examples of renewable energy include sun (solar), wind, flowing water (hydro), biomass and hydrogen. At present, non-renewable energy (fossil fuels) is the main source of energy by humans. Fossil fuels account for 84% of global final energy consumption. What are the uses of energy in the hospitality industry? ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. 4. Mineral resources A mineral resource is a concentration of naturally occurring solid, liquid or gaseous material, in or on the earth’s crust that can be extracted and converted into useful materials at an affordable price. They include metallic mineral resources like iron and aluminium and non-metallic mineral resources like salt, oil, sand and water. The hospitality industry also profits from mineral resources. Facilities like hotel buildings and transport terminals are constructed with mineral resources like iron, rocks, sand, aluminium and copper. A number of fittings and utensils are also made from metallic mineral resources.  ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES CONT. 5. Biodiversity (biological diversity) This consists of the different varieties of life forms or species that can best survive the variety of conditions currently found on the earth. There are three main types of biodiversity, namely genetic diversity, species diversity and ecological diversity. Genetic diversity refers to the variety of genetic makeup among individuals within a single species such as different genotypes of butterflies. Species diversity is the variety of species found in different habitats of the planet. Ecological diversity refers to the variety of ecological systems such as forests, wetlands, deserts, lagoons and lakes. Biodiversity provides the raw materials for industries and also promotes tourism by serving as tourist attractions.  ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT — EM is generally defined as the management of the interaction and impact of human activities on the natural environment. — The objective of environmental management is improved human life quality. — The process, environmental management is related to the rational adjustment of man with nature involving judicious exploitation and utilization of natural resources without disturbing the ecosystem balance and ecosystem equilibrium. — It is an attempt to control human impact on the environment in order to preserve natural resources. — Environmental management is a systematic approach to finding practical ways for saving water energy, and materials and reducing negative environmental impacts (Caribean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism) — OBJECTIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT — The broader objectives of environmental management include: — To identify environmental problems and find solutions to them. — To restrict and regulate the exploitation and utilization of natural resources. — To regenerate degraded environments and to renew natural resources (renewable resources) — To control environmental pollution and degradation. — To reduce the impacts of extreme events and natural disasters ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM — Tourism and hospitality businesses undertaking environmental management use a systematic approach to find practical ways for conserving water, energy and other materials, minimizing waste, preventing pollution and reducing negative impacts on the natural and cultural environments. — Environmental management activities in the tourism and hospitality industry therefore include: formulation and implementation of environmental policy; education of employees and customers on environmental issues; the recycling of waste and other waste management practices; prevention of pollution and maintenance of clean air; conservation of energy and water; maintenance of environmental health; maintenance of permits such as building permits; and compliance with environmental legislation. APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Prevention approach versus corrective approach — Prevention approach: This approach aims at stopping waste and emissions from occurring by ensuring efficient use of resources and resource conservation. It is informed by the 3R principle of reduce, reuse and recycle. Specific measures adopted by businesses pursuing this approach include buying in bulk to reduce packaging, reusing bottles and other containers and using ozone-friendly detergents and chemicals. — Corrective approach: This approach aims at limiting the harm that has already been done to the environment by wastes and pollutants emanating from businesses. It is a curative measure that tends to minimize the environmental impacts of businesses after such impacts have already occurred. Businesses pursuing this approach engage in practices such as safe disposal of wastes and chemicals and afforestation. TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT — Technical (hardware environmental management): this aims at directly reducing the adverse impacts of hospitality operations on the environment through the modification of products, services and/or the production process. The focus is on the hardware; either modifying or discarding equipments and technology that are inefficient and environmentally degrading and switching to appropriate technology. — Organizational (software environmental management): this indirectly leads to a reduction in the adverse environmental impacts of business operations by instituting appropriate policies, programmes, activities and procedures. It involves activities such as environmental education, planning and formulation of environmental policies.