Greenfieldgeography

IGCSE and GCSE Tourism

Specification:
3.3 Leisure activities and tourism
Candidates should be able to:
Describe and explain the growth of leisure facilities and tourism in relation to the main attractions of the
physical and human landscape in an area or areas selected for study.
Demonstrate an understanding that the effects of a growth in tourism are generally positive and that
careful management is needed if problems are to be avoided. Reference could be made to advantages
accruing from tourism such as growth in income, an increase in foreign exchange, employment
opportunities, the development of infrastructure and facilities which may be used by the local population,
the encouragement of other developments to take place in an area, cultural advantages, etc. Disadvantages
might include seasonal unemployment, under-use of facilities at certain times of the year, increased
congestion, pollution, a shortage of services e.g. water supplies, social/cultural problems, damage to the
physical landscape, etc. A selected sample study should be used to illustrate both the benefits and
disadvantages associated with the growth of tourism.
Leisure: Any freely chosen activity that takes place in non-work time (IB definition).
Tourism: The businessor industryof providing information, accommodations, transportation, and other
services to tourists.
Domestic Tourist: Someone who goes on holiday in the country that they are resident in (live in).
International Tourist: Someone who goes on holiday to a country they are not resident in e.g. they live
in El Salvador but go to the US for holiday.
Resort: A type of large hotel that offers extra facilities like swimming pools, spas, restaurants, bars,
activities, etc.
Package Holiday: This is when all aspects of a holiday e.g. flights, hotel, transfers, etc. are included in
one overall price.
All-inclusive: A hotel or resort that includes everything e.g. food, activities and drink in one overall
price.
Low-cost or Budget Airline: Airlines that provide cheap flights by removing all add-ons as standard and
charging people if they want then. For example if you want to check in at the airport or check a bag into
the hold, reserve a seat or even eat food on the flight, you have to pay extra.

Growth of Tourism
Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and is considered by many countries to be an important

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development strategy. Currently the majority of international tourists go to MEDCs, but many LEDCs are
also seeing rapid growth in tourism. I will mention the growth in LEDC destinations a little later.

Reasons for Growth in Tourism

Leisure Time: Most workers now enjoy a two day weekend and in addition are entitled to several
weeks holiday. This holiday time can be spent going on holiday.
Paid Holiday: Not only do an increasing amount of workers receive holiday, they are also paid
for it. This means that people do not lose their weekly income by going on holiday.UK workers
get least paid leave - BBC article
Income: More and more people are working in the secondary and tertiary sectors, where pay is
generally higher. Also many more females are now working. This means that more people now
have money to spend on holidays (higher disposable income).
Transport: Air travel has become relatively cheaper and there are now more airports open for
holiday flights. In addition road and rail networks have opened up new tourist destinations. Airbus
and AirAsia announce record deal for 200 planes - BBC article
Advertising: People are now bombarded by holiday adverts on the internet, television, radio,
mobile phones, billboards, etc. This makes people more aware of holiday destinations and
possibly more tempted to book them.
Travel Programs: There are a huge amount of travel programs on television so people are able to
view destinations that they have not heard of, tempting them to go.
Tourist facilities: Tourist facilities have generally improved and increased in number. There are
now many more hotels of all sizes and most have fairly standard services.
Freedom: More people, especially women and the elderly are free to travel and go on holidays. In
addition formerly closed countries like China now allow most of their citizens to travel.
Range of holidays: There is now a much greater variety of holidays that can attract potential
tourists e.g. golf holidays, diving holidays, walking holidays, cooking holidays.
Ease of Booking: The internet has now made booking holidays much more straightforward. Also
package holidays allow people to pay one price but have all aspects of their holiday paid for e.g.
flights, hotels, etc.
Credit Cards: More and more people now own credit cards which makes booking holidays and
paying for things in a foreign country much easier.
Passport Ownership and Visa Regulations: More people now own passports so are able to
travel and the process of obtaining visas is now much more straightforward.
Retirement and Life Expectancy: People are now living longer and remain healthier longer. An
increasing amount of people also retire with a pension. This means that more people are fit
enough and healthier enough to go on holiday.

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Reasons for Growth in LEDCs

New Destinations: People are getting increasingly bored of traditional locations and want to
experience new and exotic destinations.
Exchange Rates: LEDCs often have weaker currencies making going on holiday to them a lot
cheaper.
Advertising/Ease of Booking: LEDCs now advertise themselves much better and it is easier to
book these destinations online.
Transport: Many countries have upgraded their transport infrastructure making travel to them
easier.
Security: Many LEDCs are now much more stable with less security worries so more people are
prepared to go on holiday to them.
Although the graph above shows that international tourism is generally increasing (with maybe the
exception of 2007) regions can suffer temporary or even permanent declines. A region may experience a
decline because of:

Terrorism e.g. Bali bombing or Mumbai terror attacks

Crime e.g. Mexico or even El Salvador
Natural disasters e.g. tsunami in Indian Ocean or hurricanes in the Caribbean
Economic downturn e.g. recessions and debt crisis in Europe
War e.g. Afghanistan
Also some destinations may become run down or people simply get bored of going to the same location.
The table above shows that France is the number one destination for international tourists. France is
popular because:

It is surrounded by MEDCs e.g. Germany, Belgium, UK, Italy and Spain

It has an excellent transport network
It has developed tourists facilities e.g. hotels and tour agencies
It has many historical attractions e.g. Eiffel Tower and Carcassonne
It is famous for its food and wine
It has good weather in the south nearly all year
It attracts many different holiday makers e.g. skiers, beach lovers, surfers and rafters.
China is currently only 8th on the list, but it probably already has the most domestic tourists and in the
future will probably attract many more international tourists.
Although tourism is seen as a development strategy by many countries, it does not solely create
advantages, but can also create some disadvantages:

ADVANTAGES
Local people can perform

DISADVANTAGES
An increase in tourists may

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SOCIAL/CULTURAL

ECONOMIC

ENVIRONMENTAL

traditional dance and music

to tourists therefore
protecting their local
culture.
Tourists may pay to visit
museums protecting local
artifacts.
Historical ruins may be
protected or rebuilt to
attract tourists.
May improve countries
reputation and create
cross-cultural links.
Encourages education in
order to work in tourist
sector and should improve
linguistic skills
Jobs are created for local
workers in hotels,
restaurants, etc.
Secondary jobs are also
created in shops,
maintenance firms, etc.
Workers and companies
pay taxes to the
government. This money
can then be invested.
People learn new skills that
can then be transferred to
other parts of the economy.
New equipment or
technology may be
introduced to the country
which again can be used in
other sectors of the
economy.
Local infrastructure like
roads and electricity may
be improved.
National Parks may be
created protecting areas of
natural beauty
Animals obtain an
economic value if people
are willing to pay to see

cause greater congestion,

leading to longer periods
spent away from families.
Also increased transport
may increase problems of
asthma and traffic
accidents.
Tourism can increase
certain crimes, like
prostitution and theft
People may become more
materialistic and
homogenised with the
arrival of international
tourists.
May create racial tensions
between tourists and locals
Many of managerial jobs
go to overseas workers.
Local workers often get
low paid jobs
There is economic leakage
(loss of money overseas)
because many of the tourist
companies are TNCs and
the profit is sent elsewhere
Many jobs are only
seasonal so workers are
only paid half of the year
e.g. the ski season is less
than 6 months long.
The increased demand for
products and services may
cause inflation
Countries or regions may
become dependent on just
one industry.
May place pressure on
infrastructure e.g.
electricity and water supply
Sometimes tourist
developments may cause
the destruction of forests,
sand dunes, etc.
Noise and light pollution
created by tourist

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them. If the value of the

animal is greater alive than
dead people will protect
them. One good example of
this is Mountain Gorillas
which tourists will pay
$500 to see.

developments may also

interfere with animals.

Butler's Product Cycle

The Butler's model attempts to show the cycle that
all products go through from them being launched to
them flourishing or being discontinued. People have
applied the Butler's model to tourist destinations.
The models shows that products or destinations go
through six stages. The six stages are:
Exploration: A newly discovered tourist location
that only receives a very small amount of tourists.
Involvement: An area that becomes better known.
Tourism is supported by the local population and
they start to build basic tourist infrastructure.
Development: Tourism becomes an important
sector of the economy. There is more investment
from foreign tour firms. Infrastructure becomes
developed.
Consolidation: Growth continues with resources
diverted to the tourism sector. Areas may change to
the exclusive use of tourists, possibly alienating
locals.
Stagnation: There is increased opposition to
tourism, tourist facilities may become tired and the
number of tourist arrival plateaus or even declines.
Rejuvenation: A tourist destination rebrands itself
or improves tourist facilities, offers promotions or
improves transportation.
Decline: No improvements are made to the tourist
destination and the number of tourists continues to
declines.
The document below shows how the Spanish resort
region of Costa del Sol has more or less followed
Butler's product cycle.

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Costa de Sol - Butler's Model.docx

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Primary Tourist Resource: Pre-existing attractions that were not specifically built for the tourism
industry e.g. churches, beaches, mountains, museums.
Secondary Tourist Resource: Facilities that are built specifically for the tourist industry e.g. hotels,
restaurants, museums.
Human Attraction: An attraction that has been built or made by humans e.g. castles, churches,
museums.
Physical Attraction: Natural attractions e.g. rivers, mountains, beaches or even the weather.

El Salvador Case Study

El Salvador is the smallest country in Central
America. Its capital city is San Salvador. It has a
population of just over 6 million and a GDP per
capita of about $7,500. El Salvador has a long
pacific coast, ideal for surfing. Inland there is a
chain of active volcanoes followed by mountainous
areas along the Honduran border.
El Salvador's tourism industry has grown
dynamically over recent years as the Salvadoran
government focuses on developing this sector. Last
year tourism accounted for 4.6% of GDP; only 10
years ago, it accounted for 0.4%. In this same year
tourism grew 4.5% worldwide. Comparatively, El
Salvador saw an increase of 8.97%, from 1.15
million to 1.27 million tourists. This has led to
revenue from tourism growing 35.9% from $634
million to $862 million. As a reference point, in
1996 tourism revenue was $44.2 million. Also, there
has been an even greater increase in the number of
excursionists (visits that do not include an overnight
stay). 222,000 excursionists visited El Salvador in

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2006, a 24% increase over the previous year.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador)

HUMAN ATTRACTIONS
The Orange Route
San Salvador Cathedral
Suchitoto and Ataco (colonial towns)
The Flower Route
Mayan attractions e.g. Tuzamal, Casa Blanca
La Palma
Perquin and El Mozote (war memorials)
Joya de Ceren (the Pompeii of Central
America)

ADVANTAGES OF TOURISM
Create jobs directly and indirectly e.g.
Decameron resort
Improves the image and reputation of the
country (important after the civil war)
Tourist companies and local pay taxes to the
government
Attracts foreign investment e.g.
Intercontinental and Hilton hotels
Improved road signage
Improved language skills, especially English
catering for US tourists
Diversification of the economy
Increased protection of national parks and
biodiversity

PHYSICAL ATTRACTIONS
Lago de Ilopango
Lago de Coatepeque
El Impossible National Park
Volcanoes (Santa Ana, San Miguel, Izalco,
San Vicente, etc.)
Pacific coast
El Pital mountain
Montecristo Forest

DISADVANTAGES OF TOURISM
Crime - theft of tourists, but also extortion of
tourist companies.
Increased congestion on roads
Inflation in tourist areas
Privatisation of some beaches
Air and noise pollution from increased
amount of flights and tourist resorts
Money diverted into tourism from other
services.

National Park: An area of land and water that is protected by law. Areas are normally made national
parks because of their natural beauty and/or biodiversity.
Honeypot: A location that attracts a large amount of tourists.
Second homes: A house that is not a person's main residence. A person's second home is normally their
holiday home.
Rural depopulation: The movement of people out of the countryside.
Service decline: The reduction in the amount of services provided e.g. closure of bus routes, post offices,
etc.

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The Peak District National Park

The Peak District National Park is an upland area
located in Central England. It became the UK's first
National Park in 1951. The Peak District covers an
area of 1,440 km2. The Peak District is the world's
second most visited National Park after Mount Fuji
National Park in Japan. The Peak District is visited
so much because it is surrounded by many large
urban populations e.g. Sheffield, Derby, Stoke,
Manchester and Nottingham.
The Peak District has numerous human and physical
attractions. Attractions include:
Human Attractions

Chatsworth Hose
Peveril Castle
Castleton (beautiful rural village)
Bakewell (beautiful rural village and home
of a local delicacy - Bakewell tart)
Reservoirs (including Ladybower)
Physical Attractions

Natural moorland environment, including the

parks highest peak (Kinder scout)
Limestone feature e.g. Dovedale Valley
Rivers e.g Dove
Cave networks e.g. Blue John Cavern (some
networks have been enlarged by mining)
The Roaches (limestone cliff face that
attracts climbers)
Natural springs at Buxton

Problems caused by Tourism in Peak

District
The Peak District's roads are small and have
become heavily congested.
Some tourists drop littering which is
unsightly and can harm animals
Many tourists do not stay on the footpaths

Benefits of Tourism in Peak District

Job creation (it is estimated tourism creates
14,200 jobs in the Peak District
Income (it is estimated tourism generates
over $600 million in income)
Improved infrastructure (roads, electricity)

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causing erosion either side of the path and

Improved facilities e.g. restaurants, golf
damaging crops
courses, etc.
Some tourists leave farm gates open allowing
Protection of historical landmarks e.g.
animals to escape.
Peveril Castle
A lot of the employment is only seasonal
Protection of natural beauty
Many tourists have purchased second homes.
Improved reputation and image
This means many houses are vacant for long
periods leading to rural depopulation and
service decline.
Tourists create air, noise and water pollution
The large demand from tourists has caused
local inflation (increase in prices)
Because tourism bring advantages and disadvantages, many people disagree over how the land should be
used. You can look at these disagreements by completing a conflict matrix. If you think a group will
agree on how to use the land you can put a tick, if you think that they will disagree you can put a cross.

National Park Conflict Matrix.docx

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A number of solutions have been suggested in the Peak District to try and reduce the impacts of tourism.
The suggested solutions include:

A charge to be placed on people entering the national park (entrance fee)

A quota on the number of people visiting the national park e.g. 10,000 a day.
Improved footpaths and improved footpath signs
Increased fines for people littering and more bins.
Improved public transport, especially park and rides so people leave their cars outside the national
park
A redistribution of tourists. Advertise different sites with in the park better so people are spread
out more evenly.
However, a lot of these solutions are hard to implement because the Peak District National Park is a
working park. This means people live and work within the park so any restrictions on movement or
charges will be difficult to enforce.
Sustainable tourism: Tourist activities that are socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.

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Ecotourism: Holidays that involve eco-related activities and are sustainable e.g. hiking, bird-watching,
horse riding, etc.
Ecological Footprint: This is a measure of your demand on the earth's resources.
Global Footprint Network

Tambopata Ecolodge
The Tambopata National Reserve (TNR) and the
Bahuaja Sonene National Park join to create an area
of sub-tropical rainforest covering 3,000,000 acres.
The original Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone
(TCRZ) was created by a ministerial resolution in
1990. Both reserves are located in the Amazon
rainforest in south east Peru.
Founded back in 1991, the Tambopata Eco
Lodge is one of the most established
eco-tourism lodges on the banks of the
Tambopata River. With a capacity of only 59, it
is one of the smallest lodges in the reserve.
The lodge employs about 20 local Peruvians.
All buildings are made from local materials,
wood and thatch. There is no mains electricity,
all rooms are lit by candlelight. However, some
buildings are now powered by solar energy.
Local Peruvian food is served in the dining
room using local products.
All transportation is by boat and the local guides aim
to educate all guests about the importance of
protecting the local flora and fauna.
Tambopata Ecolodge

Typical Ecotourism Activities

Hiking
Kayaking
Bird watching
Safari (animal watching)
Cycling

How Ecotourist Resorts Can Be

Eco-friendly
Use renewable energy sources e.g. wind and
solar
Build using only local products
Serve only local food, using locally sourced
products

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Beach cleaning
Tree planting
Completing bird and animal surveys

Employ only local staff

Recycle all waste
Treat and clean all water
Educate guests about the importance of
protecting the environment
Promote local culture
Despite the aims of ecotourism caring for the environment and the local culture and environment, it still
has its critics. Critics argue that most tourists still travel long distances to reach ecotourist destinations,
thus releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases when they fly. Critics also argue that the building of
any lodges will cause the destruction of the natural habitat and disturb local flora and fauna. Also guests,
however careful will create waste that needs to be disposed of.

Tourism tick sheet.doc

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Tourism defintions.doc

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