Tourism is an excellent way to develop a country, but it can also cause harm. How can countries ensure that tourism benefits the development?
It is irrefutable that tourism has become the backbone of many economies of the world. In fact many countries rely on the tourist dollar for their development. This has also led to damage of the natural environment and at many places the tourist places have been so much littered that they have ceased being a tourist attraction any more. In a way tourism is killing tourism. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss ways in which countries can ensure sustainable tourism.
The first step towards sustainable tourism would be that tourists benefit the local residents of the host country rather than the owners of the five star hotels where they normally stay. The governments and tourist companies could educate the local residents to make a part of their homes as lodges for the tourists. This way the tourists could stay as paying guests and the local people could earn. This would be a win-win situation for both – the tourist and the locals and there would be more chances of culture exchange.
Another cause of concern which goes against tourism is that tourists litter the place by throwing plastic bottles and wrappers of eatables here and there. For this the governments could ensure that dust bins are placed at regular intervals and are also evacuated regularly. Neat and clean rest-rooms should be provided for the convenience of the tourists. The government should also limit the number of tourists according to the capacity of the tourist place.
Furthermore, it is sometimes the case that tourists don’t respect the local culture and therefore the local people do not welcome them. This can be taken care of by the tour guides and tour operating countries to educate the tourists about the important and sensitive parts of the local customs. For example, when tourists visit religious places in India, the tour guides could tell them to take off their shoes outside.
Then, some degree of pollution is inevitable as tourists travel by air, but while travelling locally, the tourist could use a non-polluting source such as a rickshaw. They could even opt for an elephant ride instead of an automobile where available. This would ensure that even the common man would welcome them with open arms. After all, the development of a country includes better standards of living for the common man.
Finally, it is in the hands of the tourist to promote eco-tourism and take some responsibility of the environment. It has been well said that, ‘a good tourist is one who takes away nothing but photographs and leaves behind nothing but footprints’.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, there is a negative side of tourism but it can be checked with some simple steps taken by the governments, tour companies and guides, the local people and the tourist himself.