Modern Tourism Industry and its Impact on the Places Visited Term Paper

Modern Tourism Industry and its Impact on the Places Visited - Term Paper Example Environmentally tourism has been seen to have a negatively influence the environment in the sense that there is an increase of pollution. However, the benefits to the environment cannot be ignored in the sense that the idea of landscaping beautifies the environment and attracts more tourists’ to the lovely environment created. The issue of draining swamps near touristic developments has proven beneficial to the local inhabitants. Lastly, we consider how tourism affects the culture of an area. Many are the times that tourism development has been shown to lead to the erosion of the cultural identity of an area. However, the main aim of a touristic travel is not to erode the culture of an area but rather many tourist travels to experience the culture of the community that they visit. With these in mind, it is, therefore, right to disagree with the argument that modern tourism is destroying the places visited, and these we shall closely examine and prove in the subsequent paragrap hs as we examine the individual aspects that tourism has influenced. Tourism does affect the culture of a society both positively and negatively. Ding and Pigram observed that tourism might encourage the maintenance of culture and tradition (1995: 8). They further state that the maintenance of traditional ways and goods needed to be restored because that is what attracted tourists. The constant visits from tourists helped in boosting and maintenance of the local cultures. Tourism represents an interface of cultural exchange it does allow for the interaction between communities and visitors who travel to experience the local cultures of a given community. Tourism allows these visitors to learn about the different cultures of the world. It also allows the appreciation of the various cultural diversity of the society that they visit. Tourists also learn and appreciate the new perspectives on life and society. The tourist industry defines the local culture of any region as a unique expe rience: the local personality, hospitality and food form part of the unique experience. The fulfilment is achieved when one gets to learn everything concerning a touristic destination. The tourists get to learn the local issues and the needs of the society and, therefore, raise awareness of the local issues and the needs of the given society (GVIC, 2004:2). The aspects of cultural celebrations that are common to various societies attract tourists. These cultural festivals assert cultural identity; it helps in preserving local traditions and teaches the younger generations of their local tradition. Tourism is used in the preservation and transmission of the cultural and historical traditions. It allows for the protection of the local heritage revival of indigenous cultures, cultural arts and crafts (Gawler Visitor information centre, 2004:3). Rickerby claims that tourism does bring people from different places and cultures together promoting an understanding between different social groups. However, he points out that these interactions may at times result to conflicts and friction. An excellent example he gives is the case of U.K whereby conflicts between tourists and local communities is a common thing in the bars clubs and seaside resorts. These conflicts are resolved by hiring tour operators who offer the tourists with the assistance; they need (2005:23). Rickerby looks into how tourisms affect the environmental