A century ago, a holiday abroad was a luxury for the very rich. Today tourism is one of the world's biggest industries, sending over a billion people across borders each year. For some countries it is the single largest earner — and also a source of real problems.
Why tourism has grown
- More wealth — higher incomes mean more disposable money for holidays.
- Cheaper, faster travel — budget airlines and better roads make far-off places affordable.
- More leisure time — paid holidays and shorter working weeks.
- Advertising and the internet — easy booking and images of exotic places.
- Rising interest in different cultures, wildlife and adventure.
Benefits and problems
| Benefits | Problems | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic | Jobs, income, foreign currency, multiplier effect | Seasonal/low-paid jobs; profits leak abroad; over-reliance |
| Social | Better roads, water, healthcare; cultures shared | Local culture eroded; overcrowding; higher prices |
| Environmental | Income funds conservation of wildlife and parks | Litter, pollution, habitat damage, footpath erosion |
Case study — Kenya's safari tourism
Kenya is a classic Cambridge tourism case study. Its savanna national parks (such as the Maasai Mara) attract visitors on safari to see lions, elephants and the great wildebeest migration, plus beach resorts on the coast at Mombasa.
- Benefits: tourism is one of Kenya's biggest earners, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs (guides, hotels, drivers), foreign currency, and money to fund national parks and protect wildlife.
- Problems: too many minibuses off-track frighten animals and cause soil erosion; some Maasai people were moved off traditional land; profits from foreign-owned hotels can leak abroad; jobs are seasonal.
- Management: limiting vehicle numbers, sharing park fees with local Maasai communities, and promoting eco-tourism.
Sustainable and eco-tourism
Sustainable tourism meets tourists' needs while protecting the environment and local people for the future. Eco-tourism is small-scale, low-impact tourism in natural areas that conserves wildlife and brings income directly to local communities. Management tools include visitor limits, education, using local guides, and reinvesting fees in conservation.
Help: income from park fees funds conservation and anti-poaching, protecting wildlife (1)(1). Harm: large numbers of safari vehicles disturb animals and erode the soil, damaging habitats (1)(1).