Tourism: The Social And Cultural Impact Of Tourism

1.0 Introduction

Tourism can be defined as a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes (UNTWO n.d). Therefore, thanks to this activity two distinct communities with different values, interact. The way they influence each other through direct indirect contact is called the socio and cultural impact of tourism (Woodson 2013). Depending on how the interactions are administrated, the host community can benefit or lose out. Something to also take into consideration while studying this phenomenon is the way the attitude of the host community changes over time. Also what actions can be taken in order to make the

The first consequence worth consideration is the creation of employment and the redistribution of income. Emigration from a rural area can be reduced when jobs are brought directly into the economy. Not only people directly employed in the industry beneficiate from this, however, the distributors and also the ones who guard the traditional crafts experience a rise in business. It can also push the protection or even the rebirth of local practices and festivals. It might also improve the attachment of the locals to their heritage. The infrastructures and transport will be improved as well, not only for the incoming visitors but for the locals too. Following this direction, even the environment can beneficiate from tourism. Natural sites such as the cliffs of Moher and many beaches throughout the country need to be protected and conserved in order to be enjoyable for everyone. (See appendix

If we have to learn anything from this report it is how to avoid making the same mistake as others in the past. We have learned how Doxeys ‘The Irridex’ while written in 1975 is still very relevant in today’s society. Also how the education of both tourists and hosts in the first thing to do in order to avoid disaster. Evidence given has shown North American tourists big advantages over their counterparts and also what would be considered a perfect tourist in the 21st Century, the well to do and big spending golfer. The most important lesson learned however is how the actions we as a nation reliant on the tourism market now face, with a choice between filling our pockets with money in the short term and destroying the surrounding nature or to invest in local infrastructure and the environment in order to leave our grandchildren living in a sustainable country. This is the problem we are now left with and the clock is