Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites Tourism Essay

Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites Tourism Essay This essay will mainly deal with the social, economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism taking into consideration that ecotourism can be seen as a form of mass tourism (As Weaver (2001: 112) says, ecotourism can be and usually is a variant of mass tourism.). It will begin by examining ecotourism looking at what ecotourism is and some examples of ecotourism sites such as Couran Cove Island Resort and Boondall Wetlands Reserve in Queensland, Australia. It will then move onto mass tourism again looking at what defines mass tourism and looking into areas that are considered to be mass tourism sites such as Benidorm and Mallorca in Spain. This will then move onto the impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism taking into account the social, economic and environmental impacts, drawing examples from the case studies above in Spain and Australia. Then it will briefly examine ecotourism as a form of mass tourism as stated by Weaver (2001). The most common definition of ecotourism is that it is a nature-based tourism and a form of sustainable tourism ecologically, socio-culturally and economically (Font Buckley, 2001: 32; Weaver, 2001: 105; Lim McAleer, 2005: 1431) and also as Ceballos-Lascurà ¡in 1996 (cited in Scheyvens 2002: 71) says Ecotourism is environmentally responsible, enlightening travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations. The International Ecotourism Society has six main principles for ecotourists (this is the term this essay will use for tourists visiting ecotourism sites throughout the essay). These include: Minimizing impact on the environment Gain environmental and cultural awareness of the site to help respect and conserve the site. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. Provide economic benefits to the host locals. Raise sensitivity to host countries political, environmental and social climate. (The International Ecotourism Society, 2010) Ecotourism can be divided into hard and soft-ecotourism. Hard ecotourism generally does not impact as much negatively on the environment as it tends to deal with tourists who are aware of the importance of sustainability, visits tend to be prolonged visits so the tourists actively engage in conserving the environment and respect the environment in which they are visiting (Weaver Lawton, 2002: 362). According to the International Ecotourism Society (2006: 4), In Europe: 20%-30% of travelers are aware of needs values of sustainable tourism. 10%-20% of travelers look for green options. 5%-10% of travelers demand green holidays. Soft ecotourism, which is the type of ecotourism that is most associated with mass tourism, is when tourists have a level of understanding of sustainability but are not as committed to actively participating in being sustainable and so do not respect the area they are visiting as much (Weaver Lawton, 2002: 363). Visits tend to be once-off day trips resulting in groups of people arriving by bus, which could happen a few times a day. These short term visits could potentially be more harmful, as the tourists may not have as much of an awareness or interest in protecting the environment they are visiting and may not be as careful as they should be they could cause physical damage, by stepping on plant species, which could in turn reduce biodiversity, which is harmful to an ecosystem. In the case of Queensland, Australia, it could be argued that it is a soft-ecotourism site, taking a figure from Lim and McAleer (2005: 1433) seen below, overnight visitors have fluctuated between 1995 an d 2000 however, in the case of intra and interstate visitors they have increased since 1995. The fact that the figure deals with overnight visitors, could be seen as a short-term stay, which coincides with soft ecotourism activity. Figure 1: Visitor arrivals in Queensland. (Source: Ibid: 1433) Examples of ecotourism sites include Couran Cove Island Resort, Boondall Wetlands Reserve Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, in Australia. Mass tourism can be defined as a quantitative notion, based on the proportion of the volume of the population participating in tourism or on the volume of tourist activity Burkart Medlik 1974 (cited in Bramwell, 2004: 7). Coming into the notion of mass tourism is the concept of the 3Ss Sun, Sea and Sand holidays. Spain became the most popular area for tourism by the 1990s there was a need to develop new products and promote new destinations (DeCleir, 2010). Mass tourism can also be associated with winter sports taking the Alps for example, which will be discussed later on in the essay. Mass tourism can tend to increase the pressure on the environment due to the large tourist volumes, which is not unlike soft ecotourism. Examples of areas that experience mass tourism are Benidorm and Mallorca in Spain and the winter sports in the Alps. Benidorm, a fishing village in Spain, so it could be deemed an ecotourism site, has seen considerable mass tourism effects The demands of mass tou rism have turned this place into a monster of an urban resort with high rise hotels, a shopping mall, bars (Schindler and Mindjov, p.1). Mass tourism can be seen to have an impact on ecotourism sites also. The three main areas where mass tourism has an effect on ecotourism are socially, economically and environmentally. Firstly, this essay will examine the economic impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism sites drawing examples from Spain. As can be seen from Table 1, tourism contributions to Spains Gross Domestic Product has increased significantly from 2000 to 2007, increasing by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬38,995 in seven years. Table 1: Tourism Contribution to Spanish GDP. (Source: Spanish Statistics Institute, Tourism Satellite Account of Spain (cited in Spanish Tourism in Figures 2009: 8). Tourism is an economic generator, not only do the host destination benefit from the amount of money coming in from the tourists but also, the fact that the site is a tourist site, creates employment in the area. As Lim and McAleer (2005: 1432) says, For many countries and regions, tourism represents one of the few opportunities for local development, employment and revenue generation. However, regions can develop an over-dependency on tourism in relation to GDP. Taking the Maldives for example, 80% of their GDP comes from tourism (DeClair, 2010). This over-dependence on tourism can result in the tourism industry in the region declining. Another impact of mass tourism is environmental. Environmental impacts include: sustainability preservation and conservation, physical damage which can result in a reduction of biodiversity and visual impact, and pollution. Taking the effect winter sports in the Alps as mentioned earlier, as an example The Alps could be considered to be an ecotourism site as it is a natural area, however it could be argued that it has not really been very beneficial at having a low impact on its environment through extensive tourism mass tourism. The winter sports that take place on the Alps have done a lot of damage to the mountains in terms of loss of biodiversity. For example, there have been reports that the black grouse population has declined and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has suggested that this decline is linked to the spread of winter sports (Patthey et al., 2008: 2). In the Couran Cove Island Resort, they have measures in place to protect their environ ment from tourists, for example, they have put into place a re-vegetation and rehabilitation program which they hope will help conserve existing vegetation and integrated within this program they hope to provide education to the local community about the fragile ecosystem (Lim and McAleer, 2005: 1433). They have also built eco-cabins that are built on stumps, the idea being that the surrounding environment can be left undisturbed and yet the tourists can still see the habitats in their natural environment (ibid: 1434). Mass tourism can cause congestion in an ecotourism site during peak seasons this could result in pollution of an area and visual degradation. In the case of the economic and environmental, these two impacts can be linked together. If a ecotourism site is getting a lot of tourists, then they are taking in revenue. The more money generated from tourism, the more the money that can go back into the conservation and preservation the sustainability of the area. In the case of social impacts on a site, as Hall and Lew (2009: 180) say, the development of the tourism industry can contribute broadly to changes in the quality of life, social structure and social organization of destination communities. These social impacts can be both positive and negative. Generally, however, the host residents are prepared to put up with the negative impacts as the positive ones are so desirable (DeCleir, 2010). Employment, although mainly an economic impact, can also be a social impact. With employment, comes the need for education and upskilling, which can be seen as a personal social benefit. When a person has a job, they are getting a regular income and so will feel safer in knowing that they can meet their basic needs (Hall and Lew, 2009: 180). In addition to this, when people have more money, they can go out and socialise with their friends or meet new people. Acculturation (when two cultures are in contact over a long period of time, there is a danger o f them becoming similar (DeCleir, 2010)), can become a problem in a tourist area, which could eventually lead to the loss of an original culture of the area. This can lead to a reduction in diversity the loss of cultural identity can affect host destinations local people, especially the elderly, as they may lose the traditional ways of life that they grew up with, which could affect their sense of security in where they live. According to Weaver (2001:104) ecotourism as both a reality and an ideal can logically be conceived as a form of mass tourism Although mass tourism can have an effect on ecotourism, ecotourism can be seen as a form of mass tourism. Soft ecotourism in particular is more often associated with mass tourism as shorter, more intensive trips are considered more damaging than longer trips as, as said at the beginning of this essay, visits tend to be once off day-trips, with loaded tour buses arriving with groups of people to visit a site all in one day; whereas with longer trips, the tourists are less likely to stay or impact upon a site all day continuously. Mass tourism can have both positive and negative effects on ecotourism sites. Positive impacts include, an increase in popularity of a site which will lead to more revenue being created which can in turn be reinvested back into the conservation of the site. Negative impacts of mass tourism tend to outweigh the positive impacts; some negative impacts include, physical impact the damage that can be done to the site, its attractiveness and reduction of biodiversity, for example, the winter sports in the Alps increased congestion during peak seasons and seasonality for example, in Greece, most hotels are closed for six months of the year (DeCleir, 2010). All of the above effects can be separated into three categories of impacts social, economic and environmental, which have all been dealt with in this essay.

African American Life Before and After Emancipation Essay -- American

African American Life Before and After Emancipation Slavery was an intrinsic part of North American history from the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607 to the legal abolition of servitude in 1865. But our nation continues to grapple with the economic, political, social, and cultural impact of that peculiar institution to this day. Over seventy years after the end of the Civil War, the WPA Federal Writer’s Project sought to understand the impact which slavery had on the lives of African Americans who once lived under its yoke. In 1936-38, the Writer’s Project sent out-of-work writers to seventeen states to record the personal narratives of former slaves; the result was an outpouring of nearly 3,000 stories from men and women who were born into bondage and released into uncertain freedom early in their lives. The relatively small collection of 26 narratives gathered in Mississippi in these years reveals the complexities of African American life before and after emancipation. While this sample should not be read as indicative of the memory and experience of former slaves at large, it does raise important questions about the meaning of freedom, the failures of Reconstruction, and the perceived quality of life for blacks during and after slavery. A careful reading of the Mississippi narratives reveals nostalgia for the security and stability of slavery and an overwhelming dissatisfaction with the failed promises of freedom: â€Å"turned †¦ loose, †¦ lak a passel o’ cattle,† former slaves struggled to realize the concrete benefits of an abstract freedom and longed for better days;[1] This weary nostalgia must be recognized not as a rejection of freedom, but as a denunciation of the powers, which declared them fr... ... [30] Sam McCallum, 4. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [31] Foner, 159. [32] Charlie Davenport, 8. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [33] Foner, 246. [34] James Lucas, 7-8. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [35] Foner, 376. [36] James Lucas, 7. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [37] Foner, 54-56. [38] Foner, 107. [39] James Cornelius, 3. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [40] Foner, 82. [41] Foner, 78. [42] Anna Baker, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [43] Nettie Henry, 1-2. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [44] Jane Sutton, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [45] Foner, 96; 366. [46] Wayne Holiday, 2. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [47] Isaac Stier, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [48] Henri Necaise, 4. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [49] Dora Franks, 3. American Memory: Born in Slavery. African American Life Before and After Emancipation Essay -- American African American Life Before and After Emancipation Slavery was an intrinsic part of North American history from the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607 to the legal abolition of servitude in 1865. But our nation continues to grapple with the economic, political, social, and cultural impact of that peculiar institution to this day. Over seventy years after the end of the Civil War, the WPA Federal Writer’s Project sought to understand the impact which slavery had on the lives of African Americans who once lived under its yoke. In 1936-38, the Writer’s Project sent out-of-work writers to seventeen states to record the personal narratives of former slaves; the result was an outpouring of nearly 3,000 stories from men and women who were born into bondage and released into uncertain freedom early in their lives. The relatively small collection of 26 narratives gathered in Mississippi in these years reveals the complexities of African American life before and after emancipation. While this sample should not be read as indicative of the memory and experience of former slaves at large, it does raise important questions about the meaning of freedom, the failures of Reconstruction, and the perceived quality of life for blacks during and after slavery. A careful reading of the Mississippi narratives reveals nostalgia for the security and stability of slavery and an overwhelming dissatisfaction with the failed promises of freedom: â€Å"turned †¦ loose, †¦ lak a passel o’ cattle,† former slaves struggled to realize the concrete benefits of an abstract freedom and longed for better days;[1] This weary nostalgia must be recognized not as a rejection of freedom, but as a denunciation of the powers, which declared them fr... ... [30] Sam McCallum, 4. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [31] Foner, 159. [32] Charlie Davenport, 8. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [33] Foner, 246. [34] James Lucas, 7-8. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [35] Foner, 376. [36] James Lucas, 7. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [37] Foner, 54-56. [38] Foner, 107. [39] James Cornelius, 3. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [40] Foner, 82. [41] Foner, 78. [42] Anna Baker, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [43] Nettie Henry, 1-2. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [44] Jane Sutton, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [45] Foner, 96; 366. [46] Wayne Holiday, 2. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [47] Isaac Stier, 5. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [48] Henri Necaise, 4. American Memory: Born in Slavery. [49] Dora Franks, 3. American Memory: Born in Slavery.

Reflection Journal on court Visit

Even before entering courtroom it was evident how nervous every single student in the group I was in was, from the way everyone slowly crept forward, reluctant to be the first one through the door. I had to steel my nerves before pushing the door to District Courtroom 11 open. The trial I experienced was the murder of a pair of infant twins due to a lack of sustenance and nutrition in June 2008 (Dick & Kellet, 2008) The accused parties, (LWS009 Study Guide, 2013, p. 15), Kylie Maree Mathews and Mark Ryan Jackman, were the mother and father of the twins.The opposing crown prosecutor’s case (LWS009 Study Guide, 2013, p. 14) was brought on behalf of the State of Queensland. When I first walked into the courtroom, one of the last people who had had contact with the accused parties before the twins died was being cross-examined by the defending Barrister (M. Backstrom, â€Å"LWS009 Lectorial 1†. 2013). It was mentioned that Kylie Mathews isolated the twins from the rest of h er family and friends in early 2008. Kylie Mathews also stopped answering calls, messages and rarely left the house.There was limited opportunity for other adults to see the twins, however, there was no active repelling of people who wanted to see the twins. The atmosphere was tense as a second witness was called in. The witness took affirmation as per protocol (Queensland Government, n. a. ), before being cross-examined by the defending Barrister. This second witness I saw was Kylie Mathew’s consulting psychiatrist, before and after the twins passed away, from 2008 to 2009. From what I could gather throughout the time I was in the courtroom, Kylie Mathews’s state of mind was an important issue to be discussed.Applying the process of ISAAC to solving legal problems (M. Backstrom, â€Å"LWS009 Lectorial 2† 2013) in this context, a lot of attention was placed on the issue of Kylie Mathew’s psychological state and the operation of â€Å"magical thinkingâ₠¬  on many levels in the period of time leading up to the loss of the twins. It was mentioned that Kylie Mathews had had anger issues and had seen the psychiatrist often. The day we went to the Queen Elizabeth II Courts Of Law, there were a number of considerably conspicuous trials going on, many involving deaths.Even though many of us were happy that we had the chance to watch these trials, thinking back on it now, it was slightly disheartening to realize exactly how many of such cases happen that are complicated enough to have to bring to court. The murder of the twins happened in 2008, but it is only in 2013 that this case is fully addressed, plus the trial was only on day 11 of 15. It is only after watching part of a trial first-hand that I realize just how much time and effort is put into the resolution of such cases and how essential a stable, predictable court system is.

Project Evaluation Tools and Techniques Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Two of the most important areas of any project that need to be measured are cost and schedule, and hence are the focus of all progress measurement tools. Every measurement, at the end of the day, boils down to cost or schedule. On way to measure project, performance is to see whether costs are in line with the budget projections. If they are not, there is a variance between the actual cost and the budgeted cost. Cost variance is the difference between the Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) and the Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP). Therefore, CV = BCWP- ACWP. If the result is a positive answer, the work was performed under budget, if however, it comes as a negative answer, it means the work was over the budget (Verzuh, 2008). Calculating cost variances early in the project can be useful for meeting cist constraints in the future since it assumes that current trends will continue (Verzuh, 2008). How the cost variance can be approved is by adopting risk management throughout t he life of the project, and to keep going back to the requirements to see whether the project is being developed within scope. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Evaluation Tools and Techniques or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page However, the scope tends to creep throughout the project when the customer keeps increasing or changing requirements. Therefore, one way to measure project success is whether any changes in the scope have been identified. The failure or success of the project will depend on whether the change in scope offers a potential risk to the outcome of the project. For example, if a new customer requirement is such that it requires ordering additional hardware and will take three more weeks to build, the outcome of the project will be very adversely affected.