Source: Spencer Davis (2019)
Tourism plays a large role in connecting humans right across the globe. Tourism encourages us to travel to different places, engage with different cultures, and make connections to places we normally would not otherwise visit. However, tourism does also have a negative impact, contributing to destruction of the environment and exploitation of workers. Read through the resources below to learn more.
This article looks at over 150 different types of tourism.
Tourism is defined as any activities related to travel away from the usual home for at least 1 night, but no more than 1 consecutive year, for the purpose of leisure, recreation, holidays, visiting friends and relations, business or other professional reasons. Read through this website to learn more about tourism, including different types and its impact.
Look through this extensive list of terms relating to tourism to further your understanding of the tourism industry.
The UNWTO Tourism Data Dashboard – provides statistics and insights on key indicators for inbound and outbound tourism at the global, regional and national levels. Data covers tourist arrivals, tourism share of exports and contribution to GDP, source markets, seasonality and accommodation (data on number of rooms, guest and nights).
The tourist industry has grown rapidly over the last 50 years thanks to things like the cheaper air travel, increased leisure time and increased disposable income. It is now one of the largest industries in the world. The growth in tourism has brought many benefits, but also has caused problems. Popular resorts and areas have grown rapidly, only to find that they are almost being over-run by tourism. Other areas that have relied on a natural resource to bring in tourists are suddenly finding that the huge numbers are beginning to threaten the very environment that attracted them there in the first place. Read through this website to learn more.
Tourism is an industry that drives people to travel for recreation and leisure. The growth of tourism has had an economic, environmental and social effect on many countries. Read through this website to learn more.
The carbon footprint of tourism is about four times larger than previously thought, according to a world-first study published today in Nature Climate Change. Read through this article to learn more.
Volunteer tourism is the intersection between tourism and volunteering. It involves travellers participating in organised short-term voluntary work to help communities, the environment and/or research in the places they visit. Read through this article to learn more about volunteer tourism and its impact on local communities.
Tourism today has a problem and needs an entire rethink. Pundits are debating overtourism, peak tourism and tourismphobia. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik are witnessing a backlash against imposed forms of tourism. In response, new tactics have been tried, ranging from tourist “police” and tourist taxes to entry fees and crowd control. Cities are having to rethink their engagement with tourism if they want to keep the locals from rioting. Read through this article to learn more.
From Easter Island to Venice, communities are up in arms at the environmental damage being caused by mass tourism. Read through this article to learn more.
The term overtourism describes a situation in which a tourism destination exceeds its carrying capacity – in physical and/or psychological terms. It results in a deterioration of the tourism experience for either visitors or locals, or both. If allowed to continue unchecked, overtourism can lead to serious consequences for popular destinations. Read through this article to learn more about how overtourism could impact Australia.
This website includes a number of links to different tourism statistics from Australia.
As one of the fastest growing and most profitable industries in the world, tourism can provide limitless opportunities for economic development, particularly in developing countries. It can generate income and employment effectively through the development of natural and cultural resources. It also provides local communities with the opportunity to express pride in their own culture, thus giving the impetus to revive threatened traditions and cultural practices. Tourism enables interaction between individuals of different nationalities and backgrounds, thus fostering dialogue among cultures and encouraging cultural diversity and creativity. However, tourism can also cause irreversible damage to culture and the environment if not properly managed. Read through this report for a case study of how tourism impacts culture and the environment in Vietnam.
Domestic and international tourism continues to be among the foremost vehicles for cultural exchange, providing a personal experience, not only of that which has survived from the past, but also of the contemporary life and society of others. It is increasingly appreciated as a positive force for natural and cultural conservation. But it can also impact on cultural heritage and practices in a negative way. Read through this report to learn more.
Medical tourism is a burgeoning industry in our region. It involves patients travelling outside of their home country for medical treatment. Read through this academic journal to learn about some of the impacts it is having on Australians.
We welcomed 9.3 million international visitors as at year ending March 2019. These visitors injected $44.3 billion into the Australian economy. Total international aviation capacity to Australia grew by 3 per cent.
This article lists the top 10 destinations for Australian tourists.
