Assessing Tourism's Environmental Social Impacts .ppt

Understanding Tourism’s Footprint? Kristin M. Lamoureux Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies The George Washington University Washington, DC klam@ How Big is the Issue? Here are some facts: In the USD, LOHAS (“Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”) estimates that ecotourism, including eco-travel networks, green tourism, eco-volunteering trips, active sports trip programming, and environmentally responsible tourism, are among the fastest growing travel trends, and are estimated to be a $77 billion market. (TIES) 80 percent of adult travelers have participated in a cultural activity while traveling (TIES) In the Grand Canyon National Park, park rangers have shot wild deer because they became so used to eating junk food handed out by tourists that they lost their natural ability to digest vegetation. (Associated Press, 7/1/95) A tourist in Spain uses 880 liters of water a day, compared with 250 by a local. (WWF) Green is in! Benefits of Understanding Tourism’s Impact Financing for Conservation: park fees, lease fees, concessions, taxation, grants and donations Economic alternatives: jobs Constituency Building: motivation to conserve Impetus for Private Conservation: demand for natural areas Benefits of Understanding Tourism’s Impact Uncover potential for negative impacts or costs Discover opportunities/benefits for tourism to address social & environmental issues and help in conservation Key Issue: Optimization vs. Utility Maximization Go ahead, make changes, or just go? Eco Footprint & Social Impacts What are we assessing? Water use Energy use Waste Management Habitat conservation Invasive species Value of land Guest – Host interactions Conducting an Assessment Get the right Information Gather available information Local conservation organizations Government information (park plans, city plans, etc) Resident attitude surveys Experts (cultural and environmental) Expert Interviews Establish Baseline Data Needs Don’t allow bias! Don’t sell.