Choosing the Environment over International Tourism

Today, thanks to the enormous amount of money and people that it

moves around the world, tourism is considered an industry. According to their
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), countries such as Malta, Croatia and Iceland
depend to a great extent on this activity (World Economic Forum, 2017), and
others, although not exclusively dependent on international tourism, have
adopted this industry to popularize their customs, create more jobs and
expand air and maritime routes to make these destinations accessible.
However, international tourism does not only imply visiting exotic places,
investing in the local economy and promoting long-distance transport.
Tourism also involves environmental pollution and depletion of natural
resources on a local level, as well as an irreparable environmental impact on
a global scale. As a clear example of the environmental damage caused by
international tourism, there is a study carried out in Cyprus, a tourist
destination island, by Salih Katircioglu, professor of economics at the Eastern
Mediterranean University. In 2014, after examining the island's CO 2
emissions, he concluded that international tourist arrivals have a statistically
significant impact on these emissions, which are intrinsically related to the
greenhouse effect. Although this conflict seems to be a dispute between the
world economy and caring for the environment, many factors are intertwined,
thus making an easy and quick solution difficult. Nonetheless, taking into
account that man needs a healthy and safe environment to survive and that
the economy is one of the most versatile sectors, it is considered that
international tourism should be banned due to its environmental impact.

The first reason to take into account is the pollution of the local
environment that international tourism generates. The noise and visual
pollution caused by the means of transport not only interrupts the peaceful life
of the inhabitants, but it also leads to the loss of the local landscape due to
the massive construction of hotels, resorts and shopping centers. Examples
of this are the airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, where the
imposed noise limits regulate the number of night departures and arrivals of
aircraft (Holloway & Humphreys, 2019), and Tunisia itself, which has
established that hotels should not exceed the height of palm trees, nor should
they be built with non-local materials (Holloway & Humphreys, 2019). In
addition to this, international tourism also contributes to the damage that
sewage causes to the environment. The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that an average cruise ship with 3,000
passengers generates about 21,000 gallons of wastewater per day, and that
this wastewater is usually not properly disposed of (Holloway & Humphreys,
2019). This waste cause significant damage to coral reefs, since the large
amount of nutrients they have stimulates the proliferation of algae that cover
the corals and hinder their ability to survive (Sunlu, 2003). Finally, another
point to consider is the damage caused by solid waste. In mountainous areas
where residue recollection is difficult, tourists leave garbage, oxygen cylinders
and even camping equipment, elements that together degrade the
environment (Sunlu, 2003). Due to all this, although international tourism
brings with it a strong foreign investment at a local level, the visual and noise
pollution it generates, and the damage that sewage and solid waste cause to
the environment make this practice seriously questionable.

A second reason why international tourism should be banned is the

depletion of local natural resources. To begin with, water resources are
largely wasted. This is because more water is used when hotels and resorts
receive a large number of tourists, since they must cover the personal needs
of each tourist and those that are particular to the facilities, such as golf
courses, swimming pools and fountains (Sunlu, 2003). Along with this, there
is also a greater consumption of local resources. The pressure exerted by
tourism in terms of overconsumption of food and energy means that the
exploitation of these resources, already quite scarce in some places, must be
forced to supply both local and tourist demand (Conserve Energy Future,
2017). In addition to the above, significant land degradation also occurs as a
result of international tourism. In this regard, the UK government recognizes
that the growth of tourism threatens the land in that it frequently demands
more of it for road construction, private housing, airport expansion and similar
developments (Holloway & Humphreys, 2019). Taking all of the above into
consideration, it is inevitable to think that if international tourism is directly
related to the depletion of water, local resources and land degradation of
tourist destinations, perhaps it is a practice that should be prohibited.

Now, a third and more alarming reason why international tourism

should be banned is because of its global impact. First, this practice
contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Ozone depleting substances
(ODSs) such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), can be found in refrigerators, air
conditioners and propellants in aerosol spray cans, elements that are used to
a greater extent in tourist destinations. In the same way, jet fuel is also a
source of ODSs, with which it is estimated that by 2015, half of the annual
destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by air travel (Sunlu, 2003).
Second, international tourism also contributes to climate change. According to
a study conducted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2016,
transport-related emissions from tourism contributed 5% of all man-made CO 2
emissions (UNWTO, 2020). This concentration of gases in the atmosphere
raises the global temperature and ends up generating an increase in the
number of extreme weather events, changes in the circulation of the oceans,
rainfall, and other similar consequences. Third, international tourism causes
the gradual loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. This happens, among other
reasons, because tourism interferes with ecological cycles that are essential
for the balance of species (Sunlu, 2003). An example of this can be seen in
Samburu National Park, Kenya, where goats are slaughtered and hung to
attract crocodiles. This particular practice causes the modification of the
behavior of these animals, which learn to depend on man for food (Holloway
& Humphreys, 2019). In summary, taking into account the global impact that
international tourism has on the reduction of the ozone layer, climate change,
and the loss of biodiversity, the restriction of this practice makes more and
more sense.

Despite all this, while it would seem clear that an important measure to
take care of the environment would include a ban on tourism, there are those
who focus on the ways in which tourism can benefit the conservation of the
environment. Firstly, because the economic contribution of international
tourism in certain regions could be used to finance the conservation of
invaluable natural habitats. The Government of Bhutan, for example, to
ensure the protection of its traditions and the environment, limited the number
of foreign visitors to just 15,000 per year, and introduced a high fee to further
reduce the demand of tourists (Holloway & Humphreys, 2019). However,
although the economic contribution helps to preserve certain places, the
policies destined to such ends prioritize international tourism before the living
conditions of the flora, fauna and inhabitants of those places. Currently, the
commitment assumed by the tourism sector is almost nil, being that only
between 5 and 10% of the income it generates actually stays in these tourist
destinations. The remaining capital, which could be used to maintain parks,
beaches and natural habitats on which tourist sites depend, returns to the
shareholders, who mainly seek to continue investing (Mullis, 2017). Now,
those who are in favor of international tourism also argue that this sector may
help to create awareness about the environmental problems of certain tourist
destinations and encourage environmental preservation practices. An
example of this is ecotourism, which promotes environmental awareness in
travelers (who have the possibility of voluntarily practicing conservation
tourism); in commercial operators (who could become responsible tour
operators); and also in the government (which could promote local legislative
reforms that favor sustainable tourism) (Daley, 2011). Nevertheless, in
practice, making use of international tourism to raise awareness and teach
sustainable practices is almost a challenge. Tourism not only necessarily
implies environmental contamination by moving a massive number of people
from one place to another, but also around 50% of the sites declared World
Heritage by UNESCO do not have tourism management plans that prevent
their negative impacts (Mullis, 2017). All this, while creating concern in
environmental matters, also reinforces the idea that international tourism, far
from being promoted, should be prohibited.

Definitely, the advancement of technology, the economic and cultural

integration of the countries, and the incipient sustainable practices that seek
to mitigate the damage caused by the first two, make the issue of
international tourism one that is far from being resolved. This industry
generates around 9.5% of the world's total Gross Domestic Product
(International Young Naturefriends, 2016), with which many companies, jobs
and countries depend on it. However, both human life and the world's flora
and fauna need a healthy environment to survive. As long as current
practices are not modified for some more ecological and sustainable ones,
international tourism will continue to be synonymous with pollution, depletion
of natural resources and destruction of the biodiversity on a global scale. Due
to this, and to preserve the environment and all the ecosystems that compose
it, it is recommended to ban international tourism.
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