Present Situation and Features of Tourism in India
Today tourism is the largest service industry in India, with a
contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and providing 8.78% of the total
employment. India witnesses more than 5 million annual foreign tourist arrivals
and 562 million domestic tourism visits.
"Incredible
India
According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a
tourism hotspot from 2009-2018, having the highest 10-year growth potential. As
per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 by the World Economic
Forum, India is ranked 11th in the Asia Pacific region and 62nd overall, moving
up three places on the list of the world's attractive destinations.
IMPACT OF TOURISM IN INDIA
Tourism industry in India has several positive and negative impacts
on the economy and society.
POSITIVE IMPACTS:
Generating Income and
Employment:
Tourism in India has emerged as an instrument of income and
employment generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development.
It contributes 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in
India. Almost 20 million people are now working in the India’s tourism
industry.
Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings:
Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings in
India. This has favorable impact on the balance of payment of the country. The
tourism industry in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and that is
expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Undesirable Social and Cultural Change
Tourism sometimes led to the destruction of the social fabric of a
community. The more tourists coming into a place, the more the perceived risk
of that places losing its identity. A good example is Goa. From the late 60's
to the early 80's when the Hippy culture was at its height, Goa was a haven for
such hippies. Here they came in thousands and changed the whole culture of the
state leading to a rise in the use of drugs, prostitution and human
trafficking. This had a ripple effect on the country.
Pollution
Tourism can cause the same forms of pollution as any other industry:
air emissions, noise, solid waste and littering, releases of sewage, oil and
chemicals, even architectural/visual pollution.
Brazil economic
The different extents of the socioeconomic impacts – for the well-being of the Brazilian population – will be perceived as a result of several aspects.
These will depend on the country’s ability: to obtain the necessary investments and perform actions in time for a successful event; to capitalize on the Cup’s legacies, turning them into permanent assets; and, finally, to reach these objectives in an economically effective manner, avoiding excessive disbursements and poor allocation of resources or opportunity costs.
The 2014 World Cup will produce a surprising cascading effect on investments made in the country.
In addition to the R$ 22.46 billion spent by Brazil on the World Cup to ensure an adequate infrastructure and organization (see box on this page), the tournament will bring an additional R$112.79 billion to the Brazilian economy, with indirect and induced effects being produced thereafter.
In total, an additional R$ 142.39 billion will flow in
the country from 2010 to 2014, generating 3.63 million jobs/year and R$ 63.48 billion of income for the population, which will inevitably impact the domestic consumer market.
This production will also result in an additional tax collection of R$ 18.13 billion by the local, state and federal governments.
Negative Socio-Cultural Impacts from Tourism
Tourism often brings many economic benefits to a country, but there can also be several environmental and social impacts if it is not done in a respectful manner.
Poor countries receive the largest impact due to the fragility of their economic infrastructure and social systems.
Loss of local identity and values
Sometimes a destination is sold as a tourism product and local communities have to change their religious rituals, festivals and traditional ethnic rites to conform to tourist expectations.
There is a loss of authenticity due to adapting cultural expressions to the tastes of tourist like performing shows as if they were “real life.
Ethical issues
Crime generation
Crime rates typically increase with the growth of mass tourism. The presence of large numbers of tourists with a lot of money to spend, often carrying valuables such as cameras and jewellery, increases the attraction for criminals and brings along activities like robbery and drug dealing.
Child labor in tourism
International Labor Organization studies show that many jobs in the tourism sector have working and employment conditions that leave much to be desired: long hours, unstable employment, low pay, little training and poor chances for qualification.
Push and pull factors in child labor
in tourism
Drivers to child labour
|
Factors that attract them to work
|
||||
Poverty
|
Quick Money
|
||||
Migration
|
Contact with foreigner
|
||||
Traffic and criminal exploitation
|
Wide range of employment opportunities for young people without
education
|
||||
Exploitation or dysfunctional families
|
|||||
Cultural Traditions: parents agree that children work
|
|||||
Lack of legislation to protect children
|
|||||
Lack of education
|
|||||
Lack of decent jobs for adults
|
|||||
Lack of social protection
|
|||||
The United Nations has defined child sex tourism as "tourism organized with the primary purpose of facilitating the effecting of a commercial sexual relationship with a child.
The sex industry is booming around the world, followed by an increase in child prostitution, which is growing due to increased tourism. Tourism is not certainly the cause of child sex tourism, but it is a channel that provides offenders with a way to gain access to children.
Environmental impact in Brazil
Positive:
Eco tourism - people preserve areas of natural beauty
Raises awareness of Brazil's environment
Provide government funding to help preserve the local
environment
It forces the government to help develop local living
conditions or develop the local area in such a way that it becomes a place
suitable for tourists.
Negative:
Usual problems with eco tourism - pollution, wear and tear,
disturbing the natural habitat, taming the local wildlife
Encourage more people to come and pollute the country
Provide funds for expanding urbanisation or development
It encourages the government to clear more areas for hotels,
etc.
encourages people to invite snappy (crocs and alligators) for
lunch and take malaria away as souvenirs/introducing foreign diseases and pests
into the country and may even take some back home
Encourage potential buyers of illegal goods made from
endangered species to shop in the area/ship back home and encourage more
poaching as a result, including wacky home remedies and superstitious placebo
medicines that are made from endangered species.
China economic
As China’s tourism industry flourishes, the country is poised to become
the world’s second largest travel and tourism economy after the United States
by 2015, according to a new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council
(WTTC).
With the rapid development of tourism industry in China since 1980, the country has experienced an increasing use of its natural and cultural environment for tourism, resulting in tourism resources being adversely impacted in many tourism destinations.
Social impact
China is a
developing country with 1.3 billion people, and genetic engineering may be a
way of increasing its food security.
If China wants
to avoid dependence on imported crops to satisfy future domestic food needs, it
should invest heavily in biotechnology research including genetic engineering.
For
a considerable period of time, the planned economy kept production efficiency
low. Food was in constant short supply due to limited investment, and backward science and technology.
Emerging country in tourism
Soweto, heartbeat of the nation
Infused with the history of the struggle against
apartheid and abuzz with the energy of the city of gold, Soweto is a must-see
for tourists who are looking for more than sun, sea and the big five.
Soweto is the most populous black urban residential area
in the country, with Census 2001 putting its population at close to a million.
Thanks to its proximity to Johannesburg, the economic hub of the country, it is
also the most metropolitan township in the country - setting trends in
politics, fashion, music, dance and language.
The making of
Soweto
Soweto may sound like an African name, but the word was
originally an acronym for "South Western Townships". A cluster of
townships sprawling across a vast area 20 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg,
Soweto was, from the start, a product of segregationist planning.
Rich political
history
Soweto's rich political history has guaranteed it a
place on the world map. Those who know very little else about South Africa are
often familiar with the word "Soweto" and the township's significance
in the struggle against apartheid.
Since it came into being, Soweto was at the center of campaigns
to overthrow the apartheid state. The 1976 student uprising, also known as the
Soweto Uprisings, began in Soweto and spread from there to the rest of the
country. Other politically charged campaigns to have germinated in Soweto
include the squatter movement of the 1940s and the defiance campaigns of the
mid to late 1980s.
Migrant hostels,
squatter camps
Soweto offers plenty of other less aesthetically
pleasing sights for the visitor. For instance, there are the hostels:
monstrous, prison-like buildings designed to shelter male migrant workers from
the rural areas and neighbouring countries.
These workers were used as cheap labour, and their stay
in the city was considered temporary; historically, they always lived on the
fringes of Soweto communities. The new government is busy converting the
hostels into family units, but they remain unbending in their ugliness.
A
place to party
Recent years have seen Soweto become a site of massive
development projects and a major tourist attraction in the country.
For those looking for a night out in the ghetto, Soweto
offers some popular joints for relaxation. There are plenty of venues that
offer a relaxed atmosphere, pleasant music (both dance and ballads) and a jolly
good time.
BY MO
BY MO
