Transcript document

Last week
• We looked at tourism
• And particularly, the Lake District National Park
• We set about answering a number of questions,
such as
– Why do people go there?
– Who wins and who looses by having a tourist industry?
– What the advantages and disadvantages
• for the people?
• for the environment?
• for the economy (the way people make their living and how
money moves around)?
• We also looked at solutions to some problems,
but in the case we are going to look at today, the
solutions have been harder to find out!
1
Introduction to Sitges
near Barcelona
Sitges is situated 36
kilometres to the south
from Barcelona with a
population of 20,000
(census January 2000)
which increases to
60,000 during the
summer peak tourist
season.
2
About Sitges
• The Sitges economy is mainly based on tourism
and industry (the construction industry and the
cement factory, and the stone quarries in Garraf,
which is a National Park).
• Tourism is mainly concentrated in Sitges, which
offers excellent premises and services, and
three marinas.
• Sitges has become a commercial centre with a
great influx of tourists during the whole year.
• As a result, the construction industry has
experienced a boom in second homes and houses
for seasonal tourists.
3
Why do
people
visit?
4
They visit because of ….
• The Physical Attractions
• Mediterranean climate
• Blue flag beaches
– but they are now very full in the summer, and
erosion if the sand means groins have had to
be added which are not always attractive!
• Garraf Natural Park: limestone landscapes
• Surrounded by unspoilt mountain scenery
5
They visit because of ….
• … The Human Attractions
• Historic fishing quarter
• Museums (including Palau
Maricel)
• Old attractive and historic
buildings
• Promenade
• Shops and restaurants
• Bars and nightclubs
• Hotels and camp sites
• Motorway and rail access
• Close to Barcelona
6
They visit because of ….
• … the activities
• Art, music, theatre and
cinemas traditions
• Festivals and cultural
events
• Food tourism
• Golf course and tennis
courts
Annual
film
festival
with over
200 films
shown
The
xatonada is
a traditional
food
7
Port Aventura Theme Park
8
Which groups win and
which loose?
9
The groups that …
• ……….benefit
• Businesses/workers linked directly/indirectly to tourism.
• Cultural groups that receive government support and
funding.
• Tour operators.
• Local Council and government who benefit from taxes
• Conservationists. Some buildings are preserved as tourist
attractions.
• Local residents who benefit from the wider range of
services supported by tourism.
• Beach replenishment company.
10
The groups that …
• …. do not benefit
• The majority of people not employed in the tourism
industry many of whom see it as a curse rather than a
blessing.
• Environmentalists. Tourist developments destroy not only
the beauty of the site but enable far greater numbers of
visitors, which would increase the physical impact on the
environment. Tourist trampling erodes footpaths and
reduces biodiversity.
• Conservationists. Poorly planned tourist developments can
destroy buildings of historic/cultural value.
• Workers unemployed in the winter season.
• Businesses located next to beaches that have lost their
sand have lost many customers.
11
What are the social
benefits and costs?
Social means to do with people’s
quality of life
12
The Social Effects of Tourism
• Social Benefits
• Brings in outside euros to support community
facilities and services that otherwise might not
be there.
• Encourages civic involvement and pride.
• Provides cultural exchange between hosts and
guests.
• Encourages local festivals and cultural events to
carry on.
• Facilities created for the tourists (e.g. the
promenade) are also good for the residents.
• Encourages the learning of new languages and
skills.
13
The Social Effects of Tourism
• Social Costs
• Some visitors may not behave as well as the
locals.
• May change individual behaviour and family
relationships.
• May lead to the loss of traditional values and
culture through imitation of visitor behaviour or
cultural diffusion resulting from normal,
everyday interaction.
• Crowding and congestion on the roads and in the
narrow streets.
• Leads to an increase in crime during the summer
season.
14
What are the environmental
affects of tourism?
15
The Environmental Effects of Tourism
• The Benefits
• Fosters conservation and preservation of
natural, cultural and historical resources.
• Encourages community beautification and
revitalization.
• Sitges has a sustainable development plan.
• Could be considered a clean industry.
16
The Environmental Effects of Tourism
• The Costs
• The development of a marina and breakwaters has
increased the erosion of beaches.
• Increase in litter, noise, and pollution.
• May lead to the erosion of sensitive habitats in the
Garraf Natural Park.
• Golf Course uses large quantities of scarce water and
fertilizers pollute both the air and water.
• Directly contributes to sewage and solid waste pollution.
• Transport emissions are one of the main environmental
problems of tourism.
• During the hot and dry months, tourism is heavily
dependent on scarce water resources.
17
The Environmental Effects of Tourism
• More costs
• Tourists compete with residents for
available services, facilities, and existing
recreation opportunities.
Look at the graph.
What do you see?
This is not Sitges, but it’s a
place not far away, where
figures are known
18
Trampling
Tourists using the same trail over and over again trample
the vegetation and soil, eventually causing damage that can
lead to loss of biodiversity and other impacts. Such damage
can be even more extensive when visitors frequently stray
off established trails.
Trampling impacts on
vegetation
Trampling impacts on soil
Breakage and bruising of
stems
Loss of organic matter
Reduced plant vigour
Reduction in soil porosity
Reduced regeneration
Decrease in air and water
permeability
Loss of vegetation ground
cover
Increase in run off
Loss of vegetation diversity
Accelerated erosion
19
What are the economic
affects of tourism?
What are economic activities?
20
The Economic Effects of Tourism
• The Benefits
• The governments gets extra tax through accommodation
and restaurant taxes, airport taxes, sales taxes, park
entrance fees, employee income tax etc..
• Creates local jobs and business opportunities. These
include those jobs directly related to tourism (hotel and
tour services) and those that indirectly support tourism
(such as food production and housing construction).
• The multiplier effect:
– Brings new money into the economy. Tourist money is returned to
the local economy as it is spent over and over again.
– Helps attract additional businesses and services to support the
tourist industry.
• Is labour-intensive.
• Earns valuable foreign exchange.
21
The Economic Effects of Tourism
• The Costs
• Increases the prices of property and of goods
and services.
• Employment tends to be seasonal. Workers are
laid off in the winter season.
• Outside events like terrorism or economic
recession reduce the number of tourists. This is
a problem in Sitges for businesses dependent on
tourism.
• Tourism follows a 'product life cycle', with is to
do with whether a place is fashionable or not (see
later)
22
Mediterranean Tourism Life Cycle Model
23
Mediterranean Tourism Life Cycle Model
•
•
•
•
•
STAGE 1: DISCOVERY a small number of visitors arrive seeking
"unspoiled" destinations. The social impact in this stage is generally small and
resident attitudes are fairly positive towards tourism.
STAGE 2: LAUNCH During this stage the number of incoming tourists
increases. More facilities are provided, increasing numbers of tourist.
Businesses remain family based and the visitor-resident relationship is still
harmonious.
Later in this stage, visitor numbers increase and the community becomes a
tourist resort.
Outsiders invest. Migrant workers, attracted by the prospect of touristrelated jobs, may enter the community and reduce resident contact with
visitors. The relationship becomes a business one.
The "explorers" move on to new "unspoiled" areas and are replaced by the
mass market.
24
Mediterranean Tourism Life Cycle Model
• STAGE 3: STAGNATION The stage in which saturation
is reached. The quality of tourist services falls, demand
levels off, and the environmental degradation of the
tourist destination begins to be obvious and worrying. The
tourist destination at this stage is said to have reached
'maturity'.
• STAGE 4: DECLINE which represents the current state
of mature tourist destinations on the Costa Brava in
Spain. Falling profits lead to foreign-owned businesses
withdrawing and the community is left to "pick up the
pieces".
25
Tourism Maturity: Mediterranean Spain
• What is a mature destination?
• Mature tourist destinations in Spain are those
resorts where mass tourism occurred primarily
on the Mediterranean coastline in the 1950's and
60's.
• At the end of the 1980's they had become
saturated with tourists and no longer offered
new attractions.
• Quality of tourist services had diminished with
the rise of competition and income was
decreasing.
• This is an unsustainable process, and will lead to
economic, environmental and social problems.
26
Tourism Maturity: Mediterranean Spain
• The farming and fishing jobs are gone
• Modern developments have replace them,
• both of accommodation (hotels, apartments,
second-home estates, campsites) and
• of complementary services for tourists (bars,
restaurants, discotheques, golf courses, water
parks, etc.),
• There are also the effects of thousands of
visitors year after year (contamination,
overexploitation of resources, etc..)
• Grey concrete gradually replacing green trees.
• Most Spanish resorts look very similar to each
other
27
Tourism Maturity: Mediterranean Spain
• There are now fewer tourist because
• People want:
– to plan their own holidays, and not go on package tours
– to experience the 'real' Spain, rather than the
artificial mass tourist experience;
– to visit areas that have not been environmentally
damaged;
– to have activity-based holidays, not just sunbathing
and nightlife
• The increasing degradation of the natural
environment and of the quality of tourist
services of the traditional or mature
destinations.
• There are new emerging destinations, with a
newer offer, of quality, that are cheaper.
28
Tourism Maturity: Mediterranean Spain
• Solutions
• In the face of this situation the mature
destinations can opt for various solutions:
• 1. Continued decline.
• 2. Stagnation, due to the application of piecemeal
measures which do not attack the root of the
problems but only the most evident effects.
• 3. Make BIG changes based on sustainability and
the integration of tourism with the environment,
the economy and the local population.
29
Homework
• I want you to take on being a person living in
Sitges
• You could be a teenager, or you could work in a
hotel or you could be a tourist guide or anyone
you fancy.
• You are writing (it could be an email?) to a friend
about living in Sitges (perhaps they are planning a
visit?)
• Please include at least 2 things that you see as a
benefit (in whatever role you are in) and 2
problems
30
So ……
• Paragraph 1: introduce yourself
• Paragraph 2: explain who you are writing to
• The letter or email
31
I am a retired English
person who has bought a
flat on the promenade.
I am writing to my friend,
Mary who is coming out to
visit.
32
Dear Mary
• It will be lovely to see you next month when you come to stay.
• It is a good thing you are coming before the tourist season has
really started. It can get a bit noisy, and the litter is a real
problem here in July and August.
• Our block of flats is not the most beautiful – they were built
in the late 60s, all concrete and glass! But the old town has
kept a lot of its charm, especially down in the fishing quarter.
That is only a short walk.
• There should a couple of worthwhile concerts while you are
here. Also we have a local carnival, which is very colourful. It is
so nice that they have managed to keep these cultural things
going.
• I know you enjoy walking so we must try and go up to Garraf
National Park, before the weather hots up too much.
• Must go now, but I am really looking forward to your visit
Best Wishes
33