The Disadvantages of Tourism – What Happens When Travel is not Sustainable

This post will highlight some of the common disadvantages of tourism, and the negative impacts it can have on destinations when it is not managed in a sustainable way.

The problem with tourism

In 2019 (pre-COVID), international tourist arrivals grew to 1.5 billion and the industry generated 1.4 trillion USD dollars of tourism receipts (UNWTO). It was the tenth straight year of growth, with arrivals continuing to increase each year. The receipts from tourism were even growing at a faster rate than global GDP! Ten years of rapid growth, and in many destinations, limited restriction or control on that growth has left tourism causing some pretty serious damage to the destinations it occurs in. It is only in recent years that sustainable tourism has really become a serious priority for destinations and operators around the world. In many cases, it has been out of necessity, in an attempt to resolve the issues unsustainable tourism has caused over the years.

Now, I love to travel. And this list is by no means designed to try to make anyone stop travelling (COVID has already done that for us…). But I think it is really important as travellers to be aware of the issues we are contributing to. Either directly or indirectly. The negative impacts of tourism are usually classified into three different areas, economic, social and environmental. In this post, I will share four negative impacts tourism can have in each of these areas. This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are (unfortunately) many other disadvantages of tourism. But the idea of this post is to highlight the problems with unsustainable tourism.

Economic disadvantages of tourism

It might seem hard to believe that there can be economic disadvantages of tourism when it produces so much revenue. But the economic side of tourism is more than just profits. And unsustainable tourism driven by profits only can have dire consequences for the destinations it occurs in.

Over reliance on tourism

Countries can become over-reliant on tourism, with a large portion of their economy and GDP coming from tourism. The situation the world finds itself in now with COVID could not be a better illustrator of the damages of being over-reliant on tourism, a very volatile industry. But even before a global pandemic, this was still an issue. Tourist’s destination preferences change easily, and it doesn’t take much to sway them away from a particular destination. Relying on tourist’s to come back to the same place year after year is risky. Events such as natural disasters, terrorism, health concerns or even just a change in trend can leave countries that were thriving on tourism empty.

Low quality employment

It’s true that tourism generates employment for many. But often these jobs are low paying and seasonal. With employees completing menial tasks with little room for progression or career advancement. It’s not uncommon for establishments like resorts to hire international staff for senior, managerial roles. Usually from more economically developed countries. This leaves local workers stuck in low-level roles, paid peanuts and not guaranteed year-round work.

Tourism dollars leaking out of local economies

A major economic issue with the tourism industry is that of leakage. You can read about this issue in more detail here. But basically, leakage is when a portion of tourism income does not stay in the destination where the tourists visited. Money ‘leaks’ out to more developed countries. This usually occurs through international companies such as airlines and resorts taking their profits back to their headquartering countries. And the local destination and community do not get the economic benefits of the tourists that have visited.

Favoured over other industries

In countries where tourism is a major industry sector, the government can sometimes focus all their energy and funds on the industry. This is often at the peril of other important industries like education, infrastructure and healthcare. This can result in pristine tourist areas, new infrastructure and funding for the benefit of visitors. But what about the locals who live in the country? They might not enjoy anywhere near the same level of development.

Social disadvantages of tourism

The impacts of tourism on society and culture are often contested and deeply complicated. Tourism is just one of many forces that can impact on and change cultures, like globalisation, technology and the media. But there is no denying that tourism and culture and society are inseparable. And there are some major disadvantages of tourism in this area.

The commodification of culture

This is one of the most complex, morally challenging and difficult parts of tourism. It warrants an entire discussion of its own, but in short, tourism can turn culture into a commodity. When traditional culture becomes an attraction, that people pay to see, this raises complicated ethical issues. Often times the culture that is presented to tourists has been adapted to be more appealing to the visitor. Traditional dances and costumes are amended, ceremonies or rituals are shortened, and handicrafts are often made smaller or lighter to fit in suitcases. Only certain elements of a culture are deemed worthy of presenting to tourists. And usually, there is a whole host of problems behind closed doors that tourists are never exposed to or aware of. The culture of a destination as seen through the tourists’ eyes is not authentic at all.

Erosion of culture

This issue is different to the previous issue in that culture can not only be commodified but in many cases lost altogether as a result of tourism. The ‘demonstration effect’ occurs when locals, particularly in traditional or indigenous cultures, observe the behaviours of visitors, usually Western tourists. Exposing the locals to a completely different way of life can lead to changes in their local culture, particularly from younger members of the community. They can begin to mimic and replicate the cultures of the tourists who visit and move away from the customs and traditions of their own culture.

Tourists behaving badly

When people are on holiday they tend to leave their moral compass at home. They are relaxing, want to have a good time, and outside of their usual environment. This can lead to major clashes between tourists and locals, and leave the locals wishing the tourists had never arrived. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, tourists can offend locals and make them uncomfortable in their own homes. Dressing inappropriately, not being aware of culturally unacceptable behaviours and general bad behaviour through the use of alcohol and drugs are just some of the bad behaviours tourists bring to a destination.

Physical damage to built culture and heritage

The Colosseum, Petra, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China. Some of the biggest tourist attractions in the world are ancient, historical sites, built centuries ago by different civilisations. These physical representations of ancient cultures are old and fragile. And having thousands, sometimes millions, of tourists tramp through them each year places a lot of strain on the structures and can cause irreparable damage. Not all damage is deliberate on the part of the tourists, but simply having people walk over old stones, touch rock walls and lean on sites can cause irreversible erosion and damage. However many sites are suffering from the deliberate actions of tourists. Littering, graffitiing, taking pieces of the site home with them and climbing on off-limits structures.

Environmental disadvantages of tourism

The negative impacts of tourism on the environment are often the most publicised and talked about. They are easier for us to physically see and quantify, so it can be easier to talk about them. But the impacts that tourism can have on the environment are very complex and can be both direct and indirect. The environment is a complicated web of ecosystems, and one small action can have rippling effects throughout an entire area or species. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the negative things tourism can do to our environment. But some of the issues listed are a bit easier to quantify, where tourism has a direct impact.

Intense use of resources

Tourists, like all people, use resources such as water and energy. However many popular tourist destinations around the world are already dealing with resource scarcities, and tourism can severely exacerbate the problem. Tourism as an industry is a massive overuser of water. Swimming pools and golf courses require a lot of water, and I can’t think of something more synonymous with a holiday than a swimming pool. Tourists themselves tend to use more water than when they are at home, and doing their laundry can consume a lot of water and energy. Cooling and/or heating large hotels and resort complexes and their swimming pools also require a lot of electricity.

Physical damage to natural and marine areas

Tourism takes place in some of the most pristine, yet fragile natural areas in the world. Hiking in the rainforest, snorkelling in coral reefs and climbing alpine mountains are just some of the many activities that can physically impact and damage the natural environment. Vegetation can be damaged having tourists continually trampling over the same paths (and often going off the path too). Corals are damaged by boats and anchors, and tourists (accidentally or not) touching and breaking them. This damage has major flow-on effects on the wider ecosystems and can indirectly impact entire ecosystems and species.

Increased waste, pollution and emissions

From rubbish to sewerage, carbon emissions from transport carriers and water pollution – tourism produces a lot of unwanted waste. In many lesser developed countries around the world, tourism has come on quicker than their local infrastructure can handle, and disposing of the increased waste tourists bring has proven troublesome. Sewerage can end up in local rivers and lakes, and rubbish can be burnt or end up in the ocean. And transporting tourists from point A to B, by planes, in particular, releases a ton of carbon emissions into our atmosphere.

Land use and infrastructure development

Tourists need places to stay, airports for planes to land in and ports for boats to depart from. Natural areas are often cleared to make way for this construction, displacing animals and destroying forests or wetlands. A lot of tourism occurs in coastal areas, and building hotels and resorts right along the coastline can have major impacts on the ocean and surrounding reefs due to erosion and sand runoff. The same goes for constructing marinas and ports, where sand mining and dredging can have disastrous consequences for marine ecosystems.

The disadvantages of tourism: Conclusion

As I mentioned previously, this list is by no means exhaustive and unfortunately there is a range of other disadvantages of tourism. The problems tourism can cause in destinations around the world are complicated and entangled with other deep societal issues such as development, globalisation and colonialism. The purpose of sharing these negative impacts was to highlight that tourism is not a perfect industry. And as travellers, we should be aware of the damage that we can contribute to when we travel. But it’s not all bad news! Tourism, when managed sustainably, has the opportunity to contribute to positive change for our planet. And there are countless examples of the positive impacts of tourism!

What do you think? Have you experienced some of these disadvantages of tourism first hand? Can you think of any other negative impacts tourism can have on the economy, culture and environment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.