National   Tourist   Industry

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La Tranche Sur Mer
Objective: To examine the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism on popular destinations

For this small section of work, you will be recording down the theoretic pros and cons of tourism to destinations globally.  You will then use this information to further your understanding of the issues in Vietnam and for IST students, it will form your IA investigation in Sitges, Spain. 

a. Click here for the background information on the issues surrounding tourism. 

b. Complete all tasks as requested using this framework to record your information. Fill in each of the six sections with at least three factors. 

Case   Study   -   Vietnam 

Objective: To carry out a case study of Vietnam as an example of a national tourist industry

Starter: Get a feeling for Vietnam by watching the Michael Palin video to the right hand side. 
Task 1 - Build up your background knowledge of Vietnam by completing the introductory worksheet below. 

Vietnam   Animoto   Task (Thanks to Greenfield Geography Wiki) 


ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES
  • It is estimated that the tourism sector employs about 250,000 directly and 500,000 indirectly.
  • In 2006 the tourism industry generated $2.4 billion (3.9%) of GDP. This figure was up from 1.2 billion in 2000.
  • Transport upgrade. Ton Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai airport in Hanoi have both been rebuilt.
  • Increase in air routes. As well as the state owned airline, Vietnam Airlines other international airlines like, United Airlines, Lufthansa and Air France fly to Vietnam.
  • The Reunification Express (trainline) is also been upgraded along with Highway 1 running the length of the country.

ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGES
  • Economic leakage. Many tourist developments e.g. Sheraton and Hyatt Hotels are partly owned by foreign companies. This means that some profits leak overseas and are not reinvested in Vietnam.
  • Inflation. The increased demand created by tourist can create rapid inflation. The value of land can go up, along with transport and even food.
  • Small businesses find it hard to compete with large TNCs, often causing local businesses to go out of business and increasing economic leakage.
  • Pressure on services. New resorts, restaurants, golf courses, etc. can put a huge strain on the local infrastructure. This can cause congestion, black-outs. etc.
  • Seasonal employment. Like El Salvador, Vietnam has a dry and wet season. Many tourist choose to visit in the dry season, meaning that many people lose their jobs during the wet season.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ADVANTAGES
  • Important cultural locations like Hue Citadel, My Son and the Temple of Literature are being afforded greater protection as more tourists visit.
  • Some minority cultures are being promoted e.g. Cham and M'Nong. It is possible to visit their villages, sample their food, by their crafts and even try and learn their languages.
  • Tourism is encouraging greater entrepreneurship and improving language skills e.g. tour guides and taxi drivers.
  • New services are built and developed which benefits tourist and local residents alike e.g. golf courses (Song Be) and hospitals (FV Hospital)
  • Money is spent on improving and building museums which protect cultural heritage e.g. War Remnants Museum and Ethnology Museum.
  • Infrastructure improvement like new roads, new water treatment facilities, new electricity plants can be used by tourists and residents alike.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DISADVANTAGES
  • A big worry in many developing tourist destinations is the growth of sex tourism, especially amongst the recruitment of young boys and girls.
  • Sometimes the tourist industry can outgrow safety regulations and accidents can happen such as the tourist deaths in Halong Bay with the sinking of a tourist boat.
  • Privatisation of land. As tourist resorts are built, beaches and forested areas become privatised reducing access to local residents.
  • Rapid economic development can lead to a polarisation of citizens economic status. The economic divide can cause an increase in crime e.g. bag snatching.
  • Westernisation. The arrival of tourists can cause a decline in local cultures e.g. loss of language, food and clothes.
  • Rural-urban migration. People can be drawn towards areas where investment and growth is taking place. This can lead to core and periphery areas and also rural depopulation.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES
  • Greater protection of the environment. Vietnam is considered a country of biodiversity. It has leopards, elephants, tigers and even the highly endangered Javan Rhino. With tourist interest new national parks are being created e.g. Cat Tien National Park and being protected more.
  • Demining. The growth of tourism has seen areas be de-mined making areas safer for tourists and local residents alike. One de-mining charity operating in Vietnam is MAG.

ENVIRONMENTAL DISADVANTAGES
  • Nearly 80% of international tourists visiting arrive by air. This is going to cause an increase air pollution and contribute to global warming.
  • Tourist development can often lead to deforestation and damage to sand dune systems. Vietnam has seen massive growth along the coast near Mui Ne and Hoi An
  • Pollution. An increase in hotels and tourist facilities can cause water, air, noise, visual and water pollution

POLITICAL ADVANTAGES
  • The government is seeing an improvement in its international standing. Vietnam has recently hosted the APEC summit and became a member of the WTO in 2007.
  • The government will see an increase in tax revenue and a reduction in unemployment.

POLITICAL DISADVANTAGES
  • As more Vietnamese are exposed to Western influences and ideas there might be a greater call for political reform. Vietnam currently has a one party system.
  • The government will have to balance growth with inflation and attempt to ensure that infrastructure development
Task 1 - Split into two groups and complete the tasks as set out below. 

Group 1 - You want to work for Tourism Concern, an organisation that highlights and promotes the negative impacts of tourism. 
i. You should produce an A3 Display that is split into four sections (socio/cultural, Environmental, Political, Environmental) with images only to portray the negative issues;
ii. Four cartoons with no speech bubbles aimed at highlighting one issue from each of the four sections. 

Group 2 - You want to work for the Vietnamese Tourist Board, an organisation that highlights and promotes tourism in the country. 
i. You should produce an A3 Display that is split into four sections (Socio/Cultural, Economic, Environmental & Political) with images only to portray the positive impacts.
ii. Four cartoons with no speech bubbles aimed at highlighting one issue from each of the four sections. 

example Student Animoto Videos 

Sustainable Tourism

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Objective: To evaluate the strategies designed to manage and sustain the tourist industry.

The market for traditional tourism is still strong, but increasingly people are looking for destinations further and further afield to experience new cultures, traditions and languages. 

Starter: Watch the two 'Idiot Abroad' videos beneath (note strong language) to see the sorts of activities that tourists partake in. 

Background reading - Guardian Online Article May 2012
Credit: Thanks to Greenfield Geography Wiki for this information
IST Student Task (requires subscription to GeoFile Online

Task 1 - Read GeoFile 722 - Sustainable Tourism  Myth or Reality? (September 2014)
Using a green and an orange highlighter pen, shade in green positives that sustainable tourism can bring to communities and in orange the drawbacks. 

Exam Corner - Tourism can never be truly sustainable. Discuss. 

Task 2 - Read GeoFile 598 An Eco-Tourism Case Study - Costa Rica (September 2009)
Complete the four activities on the back page of the publication. 
Alternative Task: Produce a two sided A4 fact sheet about either a sustainable tourism or ecotourism initiative for a location of your choice.  

Use the What? Where? When? Why? Who? approach and try to cover as many of the SEEP +/- as possible. 

Possible examples:
1. Costa Rica - Monteverde Cloud Forest - Link (also see the PDF document to the right hand side) 

2. El Salvador - Link

3. Sarawak, Malaysia - Link (Word Document)

4. Kerala India - Link 

Introduction to The Gambia - Watch this at the start of the lesson. 

Tourism as a Development Strategy

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Objective: To assess the importance of tourism as a development strategy for low-income countries.

Watch the six minute tourism video at the bottom of this page.

We will be focusing on The Gambia for this small unit of work. Click here to be taken to a fact-sheet about tourism and The Gambia.

Task 1. Construct a mind map using the following titles as 'legs'. Remember, you only need a few words for each. See the example at the foot of this page completed by S. Rizal (Y13 student) in 2013.
 
a. Gambia - Profile
Include population stats, location, GNP, language, literacy rates.

b. Economic Activity
Include foreign debt levels and reason for overdependence, cash crops, tourism.

c. Tourism Background
Include % of GDP, numbers employed, growth rates.

d. Benefits of Tourism in The Gambia
Include the information in Figure 3 - Table - Benefits of Tourism.
 
e. Problems caused by Tourism in The Gambia
Include information on flow of income out of the country, % profit made by the country, wages, skilled jobs.

f. Sustainable Development in The Gambia
Include information on definition of sustainable development, issues in Gambia, unemployment, new initiatives.

g. Aims of Gambia Tourism (Fig 5 on the last page)
Highlight the main aims.

Task 2. Read 'The Gambia: Paradise or Purgatory?
On your copy of the article, highlight and annotate the areas that point towards tourism as being a development strategy for the country. Are there any areas where you can see possible exploitation taking place?

Task 3 - IB Essay style question: 
"Western style tourism brings only mimimal advantages to LEDC destinations and widens the development gap even further". To what extent is this statement true? (10). 
  

Example of Student Mind Map - Thanks to S.Rizal & R. Walker @ IST

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