Some Potential Benefits and Costs to
the Community From Tourism
Benefits
Social Benefits
Brings in outside euros to support community facilities and services that
otherwise might not be developed.
Encourages civic involvement and pride.
Provides cultural exchange between hosts and guests.
Encourages the preservation and celebration of local festivals and cultural
events.
Facilities and infrastructure developed for tourism (e.g. the promenade) can
also benefit residents.
Encourages the learning of new languages and skills.
Costs
Social Costs
May attract visitors whose lifestyles and ideas conflict with the
community's. An example may be the large number of gay tourists in July and
August.
May change individual behaviour and family relationships.
May lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases.
May lead to the loss of traditional values and culture through imitation of
visitor behaviour or cultural diffusion resulting from normal, everyday
interaction.
Crowding and congestion on the roads and in the narrow streets.
Tourists compete with residents for available services, facilities, and
existing recreation opportunities. more
Leads to an increase in crime during the summer season.
Environmental Benefits
Fosters conservation and preservation of natural, cultural and historical
resources.
Encourages community beautification and revitalization. Sitges has a
sustainable development plan. more
Could be considered a clean industry.
Environmental Costs
The development of a marina and breakwaters have cut off the supply of beach
sediment, leading to the erosion of beaches.
Increase in litter, noise, and pollution.
May lead to the erosion of sensitive habitats in the Garraf Natural Park. more
Golf Course uses large quantities of scarce water and may lead to
eutrophication and contamination of both the air and water. more
Directly contributes to sewage and solid waste pollution.
Emissions generated by forms of transport are one of the main
environmental problems of tourism.
During the hot and dry months, tourism is heavily dependent on scarce water
resources. more
Increase in forest fires
Economic Benefits
Provides governments with extra tax revenues
each year through accommodation and restaurant taxes, airport taxes, sales
taxes,
park entrance fees, employee income tax etc..
Creates local jobs and business opportunities. These include those jobs
directly related to tourism (hotel and tour services) and those that indirectly
support tourism (such as food production and housing construction).
The multiplier effect:
Brings new money into the economy. Tourist money is returned to the local
economy as it is spent over and over again.
Helps attract additional businesses and services to support the tourist
industry. more
Is labour-intensive.
Earns valuable foreign exchange.
Economic Costs
Inflates property values and prices of goods and services.
Employment tends to be seasonal. Workers are laid off in the winter season. more
Tourist numbers can be adversely affected by events beyond the control of
the destination e.g. terrorism, economic recession. This is a problem in
Sitges for businesses dependent on tourism. more
Tourism follows a 'product life cycle',
with a final stage of decline, where the destination no longer offers new
attractions for the tourist, and the quality has diminished with the rise of
competition and tourist saturation. Sitges is a 'mature' destination which is addressing
this problem with its local agenda 21 policies. more
