The Good
Tourism is an incredible commercial industry that allows people to visit and explore different regions of the world. It provides individuals an escape from where they are used to living as well as a chance to both see and do things otherwise unavailable to them.
Starting all the way back in the 17th century, tourism has made rest and relaxation possible for so many while also creating jobs for countless others.
In 2019, within the United States, alone, domestic and international travelers spent a total of $1.1 trillion (yes, you read that right – trillion), all of which directly supported 9 million jobs for individuals across the U.S.
What’s more, the tourism industry creates more jobs per dollar spent than other industries. For example, while $1 million spent in non-farm industry sales creates five jobs on average, that same amount spent on travel goods and services creates eight jobs within the industry, according to the 2019 U.S. Travel and Tourism Overview.
The great thing about tourism, though, is that it has a direct and indirect impact on the economy. Within the last year alone, tourists spent $279 billion on food services and $242 billion on lodging in the U.S. That’s the direct impact. Those sales, though, had an indirect impact on the goods and services purchased by travel business operators in order to make the things that tourists purchase directly possible, such as the food itself, alcohol, materials and energy.
So while travel supported 9 million direct travel-related jobs in 2019, it also supported nearly 7 million indirect travel-related jobs. In other words, travel supports nearly 15.8 million American jobs.
In addition to the money spent and jobs created due to the tourism industry, tourism is also responsible for livening up places that would otherwise be fairly dead year-round. Ketchikan, Alaska, for example, flourishes for about five months out the year because of the sheer number of people that the cruise ships bring in during the summer season.
The town comes alive with tourists, seasonal workers, fishermen, and provides locals with the funds necessary to make it through the winter until the next tourism season comes around. Without the tourism industry up there, it is likely that the economy in Ketchikan would not be large enough to support so many locals.
The Bad
Like almost everything these days, tourism has negative impacts on the environment.
The increased traffic caused by tourism can cause nature to be destroyed or eroded, which in turn affects the animals inhabiting the area.
More people visiting an area also means that more of that area’s resources are being used. This can diminish or deplete resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, forests, soil and water.
The need for transportation that the tourism industry creates to get people and resources places accounts for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to this study published in Nature Climate Change in 2018.
Tourism, likewise, causes pollution in the ocean. When cruise ships dump waste from onboard into the sea, it pollutes habitats and messes up the balance of underwater ecosystems.
The Ugly
Now the ugly part of tourism is the part caused by tourists simply being bad tourists. I’m not talking about the indirect issues caused by travel but rather the direct ones caused by imprudent and selfish choices.
I’m talking about carving initials into sacred Native American sandstorm formations, stealing 90 pounds of sand from the beaches of Sardinia (what’s the plan people?) – not to mention any kind of historic artifact, vandalizing art in museums (or shattering an $800,000 piece while trying to take a selfie), having sex on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza, pushing a rock of a crag at Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire, England, causing irreparable damage to a millions-of-years-old landmark, throwing a glove at a member of the Queen’s Guard in London for no good reason, killing a baby dolphin while trying to take a selfie with it, taking nude photos at a historic temple in Thailand and purposefully kicking and destroying stalagmite in a cave in China that’s been around for thousands of years.
Do I really need to go on? If you want to hear more, click here. In addition to not doing obviously heinous and problematic acts such as the ones listed above, being a good tourist also means being kind to the people making your amazing travel experience possible (tip your tour guides and servers!!) as well as being respectful of the area you’re visiting. That goes for small conscientious deeds such as not littering or feeding wildlife.
Working in Ketchikan as a Duck tour guide and busser has given me the biggest appreciation for the tourism industry and the positive effects it can have on tourist destinations and the people living in them. I love working around, talking to and even being a tourist myself. With that being said, when travel picks up again and you excitedly rush to the next place on your bucket list, please treat that place and the people in it like what you do matters (because it does). 🙂
Sierra Sage 