Tourism

THE IMPACT OF TOURISM

Given that countries are variously endowed with natural resources and habitats, no one country can boast of possession of all of nature’s recourses. A country like Nepal happens to be the destination of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, while Brazil has the second longest flowing river in the world – the Amazon. Besides nature’s endowments, countries may have made monuments and structures while others may have places of historical significance. However, scientific and technological advancement have brought to the doors of some countries previously unimagined scientific feats like the space shuttle. Such diversity spread throughout the world tends to generate curiosity and hence tourism in other countries and places.

This essay will first focus on the impact of tourism on various countries worldwide, while at the same time discussing its positive and negative aspects of the same time. The emphasis will then be shifted to discuss the political economical, socio-cultural, technological and environmental impacts of tourism during the CAN 2008 held in Ghana.

About four decades ago, tourism used to be the preserve of the rich. However, with technological advancement and globalization, it has become affordable even to students. This has become possible due to increase in worldwide economic activities which has helped to bring down the cost of air travel. Average workers, especially in developed countries are even able to take vacations to various destinations as tourists.

Tourism not only brings revenue but, creates jobs worldwide. This is especially true of countries which have been designated as holiday destinations. Most Americans and Europeans tend to holiday in places with nice beaches and scenic environments like Acapulco and Cancun in Mexico, Catalina, Copacabana and Ipanema in Brazil and many others around the world. Besides, island states like Malta, Mauritius, Madagascar and Las Palmas attract tourists....