Category: Tourism

Introduction

Before the advent of the ecotourism concept, the attention of tour operators were fastened on nothing more than the short-term gains to be obtained from taking city-based tourists to the hinterlands for guided nature and leisure trips, cruises and boat rides, hunt for wildlife, etc. These activities are conducted with total disregard for the social, economic and environmental impact of letting hordes of tourists enjoy the wonders of nature in a haphazard manner. In the jungles of Africa, for example, tourists are allowed to hunt wildlife indiscriminately without the consent of and accruing benefit for village people whose livelihood and well-being depend on a delicate balance in this natural resource. Most of the proceeds from the conventional practice of tourism thus go to the tour operators who, together with the visitors, only derive the positive experiences offered by the tourism industry. This paper discusses the reasons for the shift in emphasis of tourism development from the consumptive and short-term perspective to one that gives considerations to social responsibility, environmental concerns and sustainability issues. The first part of the research is a comprehensive review of the literature, underlining the history of tourism and the development of natural resources for tourism purposes, tourism demand and opportunities, and the costs and benefits involved in a sustainable tourism undertaking. The second part analyzes tourism projects in eight countries, based on a study by Horner & Swarbrooke (2004) of tourism management in which government takes the lead role in showcasing tourism as an effective tool for sustainable rural development. Based on ideas gleaned from the literature review together with recent experience, we then look for possible inefficiencies in the tourism products of those eight countries and suggest ways to improve these programs for the benefit of more stakeholders and other policymakers.

Literature Review

The term “ecotourism” was first used by Hector Ceballos-Lascurain in 1983 to describe travel to rarely visited natural spectacles outside population centers simply to broaden one’s outlook or education (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). The concept has since evolved to mean a holistic and scientific approach to the planning, development, and management of products and services for serving up tourists (Page & Dowling, 2002). According to Merg (1999), tourism becomes ecotourism when it creates tourism facilities and products that are socially and psychologically acceptable, economically feasible, and ecologically sustainable. This represents a radical departure from the traditional concept of tourism in which visitors use the gifts of nature for their pleasure without ensuring that travelers in the future enjoy the same thrill and experience (Merg, 1999). An example of consumptive tourism is the hunting of rare polar animals in Alaska or wildlife specimens in African jungles, which is ecologically destructive even if quotas and hunting seasons are prescribed for such activity. Allowing visitors into the natural habitat of wildlife is ecologically disruptive in itself. One of the reasons is that hunting and the presence of so many tourists disturb the mating patterns of wild animals, which is likely to discourage procreation. The result of this mindless intrusion into nature is that there will be fewer species of animals in the future (MERC, undated). In effect, the traditional concept of tourism fails to preserve resources for future generations and demonstrates an absence of care for the environment even as it ignores the local people and economies, which represent the driving force behind ecotourism.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is equated with responsible tourism and sustainable development, which have served as alternative concepts to consumptive tourism since the late 1980s. Considered the fastest growing sub-sector of the tourism industry, with an annual global expansion of 10-15 percent, ecotourism represents a change in tourist perceptions in terms of sharper awareness of the ecological implications of the popular desire to explore natural environments (Page & Dowling, 2002). Some definitions of ecotourism:

1. “The practice of low-impact, educational, ecologically and culturally sensitive travel that benefits local communities and host countries.” – Wearing (2001, p. 397).
2. “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” – International Ecotourism Society, (2007, p. 1).

Under the principles and criteria set by the International Ecotourism Society in 1990, tourism-oriented activities fulfill the requirements of ecotourism if they minimize environmental impact; build environmental and cultural awareness and respect, provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts; empowers and economically benefits local people; and raise awareness of the social, political and environmental climate of the host countries. Specifically, ecotourism should provide for the conservation not only of the biodiversity but also of the cultural heritage of tourism sites and local people throughsustainable use, meaningful job creation, local consent and NGO-community participation and minimization of waste and pollutants (Barkin & Pailles, 2007). The social and economic benefits can be shared meaningfully with local communities and indigenous people if they are allowed to participate in the development and management of ecotourism enterprises because then the long-term effects will become a major consideration (Cawley & Gillmor, 2007).

These principles and criteria are emphasized here because of the different perspectives on what constitutes ecotourism. According to Brown (1998), ecotourism continues to mean different things to different environmentalists, special interest groups and governments. Environmental NGOs maintain that apart from consistently supporting conservation measures, ecotourism is also managed in a sustainable manner such that it is forward-looking ((Harrison & Husbands, 1996). However, to governments and the tourism industry it is enough that a tourism project is nature-based or it sells to visitors a product of nature (Kotler, et al., 2003). Adding to the confusion is the use of a variety of terms to describe ecotourism in the literature and tourism marketing activities. Among the terms being frequently used are nature tourism, low-impact tourism, green tourism, bio-tourism, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism and rural development tourism (Acott, et al., 1998), which are not synonymous with ecotourism in the strictest sense of the word if measured by the criteria set by the IETS. In that set of general criteria, ecotourism must include the conservation of biological and cultural diversities through ecosystem protection, promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, share of socio-economic benefits with local communities through informed consent and participation, increase in environmental and cultural knowledge, affordability and reduced waste, and minimization of its own environmental impact (International Ecotourism Society, 2007). What is important is that it contributes to the long-term benefits of both the environment and local communities instead of the short-term gains derived from the conventional conduct of tourism (Page & Dowling, 2002).

The tourism industry is a big money earner and such disagreement over the proper definition of ecotourism is a cause for concern among policy makers intent on making tourism the driver of economic development because of the phenomenon called “green-washing.” This is a strategy that uses the environment as a ploy to commercialize a tourism product. In this method, tourism schemes are falsely promoted as sustainable, nature-based, and eco-friendly undertakings although the motivation is crass commercialism. According to MERC (undated), these schemes are not only harmful to the environment, economy, and local culture but also morally offensive. Nonetheless, green-washing in the tourism industry continues to gain popularity because it entails fewer development costs for tour operators. An example of such a scheme is the theme park called Nature’s Sacred Paradise in Quintana Roo, Mexico, which has been responsible for displacing local Mayan communities and illegally keeping endangered species in cages to attract visitors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism). The development and success of such large-scale, energy-intensive, and ecologically unsustainable schemes attest to the profitability of stamping the ecotourism label on tourism projects that do not fulfill the criteria. This emphasizes the need for controlling such activities, with funding appropriated for field studies designed in such a way that it aims to find alternative solutions.

Even as pure ecotourism, tourism activities are also known to engender conflict over control of land, resources, and tourism profits at the local level (MERC, undated). Travel in the hinterlands always creates social and environmental impact and the imperative is to pass laws that regulate the activities of investors in tourism. These regulations should be implemented to prohibit the establishment of unsustainable ecotourism projects and the distribution of promotional materials that misrepresent destinations and ignore local and indigenous cultures (McLaren, 1998). Aside from environmental degradation caused by tourism infrastructure, visitors to a tourist attraction always leave garbage and pollution in their wake (Barkin & Pailles, 2007). This happens although tourists may claim to be educated and aware of the dangers of environmental pollution. Ecotourism itself exerts pressure on the environment because it damages flora and fauna, destroys marked trails, contributes to soil erosion and impaction, scares animals away, or disrupts their feeding and nesting patterns (MERC, 1999). In Kenya, for example, wildlife visitors drive cheetahs off their reserves, thus increasing the risk of inbreeding and further endangering the species (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism).

Consumptive Tourism

An example of a tourism activity that is short-term and consumptive in the objective is the unabated hunting expeditions in Africa, particularly the protected areas and rich forest reserves in Kenya and Tanzania. The tour operators and hunting firms have been accused of indiscriminate hunting of wildlife that disregards the rights of local people and the well-being of the environment (MERC, undated online). To mitigate the situation, the Tanzanian government has led the way by launching a program called Wildlife Management Areas, which are areas set aside for natural resource conservation with the consent and participation of village people. The program will be overseen by Tanzania’s Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources to ensure that the communities benefit from the conservation and management of wildlife in their lands. African countries contend with what is called jungle tourism, a malpractice that occurs when the concept of ecotourism is used as a marketing tool to promote nature-based tourism.

Tourism targeted for short-term gains is the exact opposite of ecotourism, which according to Merg (1999), has the following:

“It is developed with little attention to the negative social, economic and environmental impact; it does not yield greater economic benefits for local people nor enhances the well-being of host communities; it does not improve working conditions and access to the industry; it neglects to involve local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances; it does not make a positive contribution to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and the maintenance of biodiversity, and it does not provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues”. (Merg, 1999, p. 2 online)

According to Doxey (1975), consumptive tourism is doomed from the start because of its lack of long-term provisions. When tourists are brought to an area of interest, the locals may welcome the intrusion because of the promise of tourist income. However, this attitude becomes negative upon reaching a threshold. The index model set by Doxey (1975) says that the attitude of residents that is positive at first turns to apathy, then to irritation, and eventually to antagonism as the perceived costs exceed the expected benefits.

Responsible Tourism

Based on the definitions of Harrison & Husbands (1996), responsible tourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Apart from giving careful consideration to such environmental and cultural factors, responsible tourism also makes allowances for water conservation and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities. This view holds that responsible tourism is a movement as it represents an approach to engaging the full cooperation of all tourism stakeholders. It emphasizes that all tourism stakeholders are responsible for the kind of tourism that they develop or engage in (McLaren, 1998). Thus, tourism establishments, government, and residents must recognize the need to balance the conflicting interests inherent in a tourism project. According to Harrison & Husbands (1996), responsible tourism is an aspiration that can be realized in different ways in different markets and the diverse destinations of the world. In that sense, sustainable tourism is a sub-sector of the tourism industry committed to creating a minimal impact on the natural environment and local culture while helping generate income and employment for locals (Barkin & Pailles, 2002).

Economists forecast continuing growth in international tourism at an estimated 3 to 6 percent annually, depending on the attractiveness of a location (Wearing & McNeil, 2000). As one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing governments, tourism will then exert increasing pressure on the remaining natural habits and indigenous cultures, which serve as a support system for mass tourism. Tourists that promote sustainable tourism are sensitive to these dangers and seek to protect tourist destinations and the tourism industry as a whole (Acott, et al., 1998). Barkin & Pailles (2007) propose the following measures to promote sustainable tourism:

1. Educate tourists on the culture, economy, and politics of the communities in the tourist areas.
2. Anticipate and respect local cultures’ expectations and assumptions.
3. Contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance.
4. Support the integrity of local cultures by favoring businesses that conserve cultural heritage and traditional values.
5. Support local economies by purchasing local goods and participating with small, local businesses.
6. Conserve resources by seeking out environmentally conscious businesses, and by using the least possible amount of non-renewable resources (Barkin &Pailles, 2007, pp. 71-79).

Interestingly, tourism destinations and operations are endorsing and following responsible tourism as the road leading to sustainable tourism. Responsible tourism and sustainable tourism are identical because they work for the same goals and operate by the same principles, which are social equity, environmental integrity, and economic development (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). The only difference is that in responsible tourism, individuals, organizations, and businesses are asked to assume responsibility for their actions and the impact of these actions (Ibid). This shift in emphasis has taken place because some stakeholders feel that insufficient progress towards realizing sustainable tourism has been made since the international Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism). The emphasis on responsibility in responsible tourism means that everyone involved in tourism should be held accountable if the goals of ecotourism are not achieved, which is to help maintain and preserve the natural environment for future use.

Rural Tourism

Tourism provides an alternative source of income for rural areas around the world that are facing unprecedented challenges because of the increasing demand for agricultural goods (Cater, 1995). In both developed and developing countries, rural areas are suffering from depopulation and diminishing agricultural incomes. The migration from rural to urban areas leave many farms fallow while the increasing unpredictability of the climate reduces agricultural productivity. In Western Europe, the threats come from reduced European Union subsidies for agriculture, while in other parts of the world the problems are coming from health problems such as HIV-AIDS and natural calamities such as droughts and floods. There is also a growing feeling that globalization is going to put increasing pressure on rural food producers. Interestingly much of the opposition to globalization has come from rural interest groups, most notably the peasant movement in France (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2004). As a result of all these threats, there is a great interest today in sustainable rural development, among governments and rural communities (Harrison & Husbands, 1996). The consensus is that this requires a holistic view that integrates all elements of the rural economy towards a common purpose and tourism presents itself as one of these elements. This does not mean that tourism is a panacea for rural poverty since tourism is only one part of the rural system, which must be in balance with the other parts of the system, from agriculture to education and manufacturing industry to housing. Nevertheless, tourism does have many advantages in terms of rural development if used under the heading rural tourism. These advantages are listed by Horner & Swarbrooke (2004) as:

• Rural tourism can be developed relatively quickly.
• The capital costs are often less than those involved in developing new businesses in other industries.
• Tourism is less polluting than most of the other industries.
• Tourism can bring benefits to a wide cross-section of the local community if properly developed.
• Tourism can help maintain the viability of farms.
• Rural tourism can provide jobs for groups that may otherwise struggle to find employment in rural areas, such as women and young people. (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2004, p.34)

Notwithstanding its promise of development, rural tourism is like other industries that involve a mass of people and so it can also bring problems to rural areas such as overcrowding, traffic, and rapid social change. When the culture of host communities is the closed and conservative type, the local people may resist the visit of tourists. On this concern, the index model of Doxey (1975) might prove useful in crafting a development program for rural tourism. According to this theory, the attitude of residents toward tourism may be positive at first but this gradually turns to apathy, then irritation, and finally antagonism when the perceived costs of the tourism project exceed the expected benefits. In effect, proponents of a rural tourism endeavor must demonstrate to the host communities that the benefits they would derive from the project are greater than the sacrifices they will have to make.

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainability also relates to successful product development and marketing of tourism destinations so that tourist arrival continues. According to Kotler, et al. (2003), no effort to promote tourism can succeed if the government does not lead the way. By all rights, tourism is an economic activity that should be left to the private sector but planning, regulation, and infrastructure development should be the tasks of the government. The reason is that successful tourism marketing redounds to the benefits of government, the private sector, and the local population. Tourism development and marketing are focused on four factors:

1. Natural Endowments – these refer to a country’s history, resources, climate, and culture.
2. Acquired Endowments, Public Goods and Externalities – these have to do with the level of education, knowledge of foreign languages, quality of infrastructure, public health conditions, legal and banking systems, all of which are capable of making the stay of tourists comfortable.
3. Risk Mitigation – this refers to the elements of risk in the visit of tourists, concerning political and economic disturbances. For example, is there any possibility that a military coup will erupt in places where tourists are visiting? Can the insurance system in this place cover a tourist that may be killed in an accident?
4. Economic Prowess – this refers to a country’s economic policies that can induce the growth of tourism (Kotler, et al., 2003).

Plog (2001) identifies three types of tourists in a modeling concept that can prove useful in tourism development and marketing because it helps determine which tourist destinations should be promoted to which group of tourists. There are the allocentric tourists who enjoy making contact with local people and need little tourism infrastructure, and the psychometric who prefer to visit foreign places that have the comforts of home and thus need a great deal of tourist infrastructure. In between is the mid centric type of tourists, who display the characteristics of both the allocentric and psychometric models and essentially dislike contact with locals.

Costs & Benefits

A tourism project or product is a costly undertaking in terms of social, economic,mid-centric, and environmental repercussions. The objective of ecotourism is to balance these costs with the expected social, economic, and environmental benefits. If possible, the benefits should be greater than the costs, for the tourism product to avoid the index theory of Doxey (1975), in which the initially receptive locals begin to resist if the costs exceed the benefits. According to the Barcelona Field Studies Center (2008), there is always the possibility that visitors bring with their lifestyle and ideas that will run into conflict with those of community residents. For example, tourists are known to bring and use alcohol or drugs in their travels, which habit is capable of corrupting if not antagonizing the locals. According to Brown (1998) and Page & Dowling (2002), the influx of tourists may also result in the following:

1. Change in individual behavior and family relationships in host communities.
2. This contributes to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases.
3. Lead to loss of traditional values and culture through imitation of visitor behavior or cultural diffusion resulting from normal, everyday interaction.
4. Create crowding and congestion.
5. Compete with residents for available services, facilities, and existing recreation opportunities.
6. Encourage harassment of visitors perceived to be wealthy, thus abetting crime.
7. Lead to violation of human rights, with people deprived of their use of their land and beaches to give way to paying guests (p.32)

As for social benefits, the primary gains in this sphere include the entry of dollars that could be used to build community facilities and services that the local government could not develop otherwise. The other social benefits listed in the Barcelona Field Studies Center (2008) are the encouragement of civic involvement and pride; the cultural exchange between guests and hosts; preservation and celebration of local festivals and cultural events; the use of facilities and infrastructure developed for tourism by residents; the learning of new languages and skills; and use of tourism-related funds for building schools and related structures in the host communities.

On the environment, the possible costs are the threat of degradation posed on such natural resources such as beaches, coral reefs, and historical sites; the unavoidable increase in littering, noise, and pollution; increased competition for limited resources such as water and land; increased sewage and solid waste pollution and vehicle emissions. Tourism also benefits the environment by fostering conservation and preservation of natural, cultural, and historical resources; and encouraging community beautification and revitalization.

In terms of economic benefits, tourism helps diversify and stabilize the local economy; provides governments with extra tax revenues each year through accommodation and restaurant taxes, airport taxes, sales taxes, park entrance fees, employee income tax; and creates local jobs and business opportunities, such as those directly related to tourism (hotel and tour services) and those that indirectly support tourism, such as food production and housing construction ((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism). If developed and implemented properly, tourism can boost the local economy because of its multiplier effect, such that the new money brought by tourists is returned to the local economy as it is spent over and over again. While it earns valuable foreign exchange, it also employs big numbers of people because of its labor-intensive characteristics. There is an economic price to be paid for these benefits, which is led by the costs the local government has to appropriate for the development of airports, roads, and other infrastructure. The coming of tourists may also inflate property values as well as prices of goods and services, with most of the economic benefits going to the tourist developer from outside the community. While tourism means local employment, this comes in spurts though since the tourism industry is seasonal and the services of workers become unnecessary during the winter or rainy seasons. On top of this irregular work, the pattern is the generally low wage rate in the tourism industry, which does not require skilled workers except those serving as tour guides or those in management positions. Moreover, the number of tourist arrivals can be skewed by events beyond the control of the tour operator or destination, such as economic recession or terrorist attacks to which less developed countries are especially susceptible. Finally, there is the tendency of tourism to follow the product life cycle theory in marketing, which suggests that no matter how successful a product is patronage will decline sooner or later. The product life cycle consists of the market introduction, growth, maturity, and decline stages. In tourism, it is believed that the popularity of a destination diminishes when the sense of novelty is gone and competitors also begin to saturate that particular market (Jacobson & Robles, 1998).

Case Study

Horner & Swarbrooke (2004) studied 40 different tourism-oriented organizations, attractions, establishments, and facilities in various parts of the world to see how rural-based tourism development programs promote sustainable rural development. The most prominent part of the study focuses on the development of rural tourism in France, the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, New Zealand, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Rural-based tourism products and services in these eight countries were evaluated on how they manage resources in such a way that they fulfill the social, economic, and aesthetic imperatives of modern tourism and at the same time preserve the ecological and biological diversity in the project areas. In the case study, distinctions were made between tourism projects that were initiated and funded by the private sector and those undertaken by the government, between farm-based and village-based projects, and between “active participatory” and “passive relaxation” types of tourism. In an active-participatory project, development is led by the local people, while the passive-relaxation types were driven by people from outside the community.

In France, which is acknowledged as having pioneered the concept of tourism as a tool for rural development, the showpieces of rural tourism are the Gites, Fermes-Auberges, Bienvenue a la Ferme, Marcus du Pays, Loisirs Accueil, and the themed trails. The Gites have abandoned farm buildings converted by the government into low-cost tourist facilities through public sector grants. As a measure of its success, there are over 45,000 Gites across France as of 2004 from the handful that was created in 1950, with a Gite for children and nature trippers, for horseback riding, fishing, and skiing. Every Gite provides extra income to farmers and villagers, who maintain the facility and serve as its staff. The development concept for Gite also animates the Fermes-Auberges farms, in which rural families are encouraged to host and feed guests in their farms with meals cooked the native way. In essence, the other tourism attractions developed in France merely function as support systems for the Gites and Fermes-Auberges. The Bienvenue a la Ferme is an information campaign that encourages people to visit rural areas, learn about the food chain process, and buy their food requirements direct from the farmers, which are available at the Marches du Pays. Information about these tourism-related market operations in the rural areas is provided through the government-supported agencies called Loisirs Accureil, which handles the themed parks that promote the endeavor on rural tourism and the local farm products.

Like France, Ireland has been a major player in rural tourism development in Europe, using the strategy mainly as a response to the rural-to-urban migration problem. The government has financed dozens of projects to develop rural tourism infrastructure in West Cork. These include garden attractions, diving centers and equipment, self-catering accommodation development, caravan sites, a tourist information center, restoration of an old watermill, boats for river cruising, a tourist hostel, a walking festival, cycling routes, and a rural music festival. The funds lent to these projects were relatively small since the purpose is to encourage private investors to join. Unlike France, however, Honer& Swarbrooke (2004) note that Ireland’s rural tourism does not focus on farm life and products and uses rural areas only as a setting for tourism activities. Thus, the rural tourism activities encouraged in Ireland are those related to golfing, angling, Irish music, and dance, and natural history.

Another European country at the forefront of rural tourism development in New Zealand, where Agritour was established in 1984. Agritour projects New Zealand as one of the world’s leading agricultural producers by establishing relationships between local agriculturists and farmers and major agricultural producers in the world. Learning tours are periodically arranged for New Zealand farmers to study the farming systems in other countries.

In the UK, there are no organized rural tourism projects as yet, since the country only promotes visits to rural areas for such activities as horseback riding, walking and cycling, and experiencing farm-based accommodations and picturesque villages. In the drawing, boards are many projects calculated to stimulate the growth of the rural areas through rural tourism. These include the Rural Tourism Improvement Fund for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the EU-supported Interreg II-B, and a research project under the Rural Recovery Program in the West Midlands. Under the RTIF for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, financing will be granted to residents who have at least 5 acres of land for development as rural-based tourism facilities that will showcase local products. The same objective is set for the Interreg II-B project, which aims to establish rural tourism sites that would link the UK’s agricultural, food processing, culture, and tourism activities with those of neighboring Germany, Norway, and Sweden. As for this third undertaking, the University of Staffordshire will look at the needs and potentials of small and medium tourism-related enterprises in the area to see how they can be developed under the existing Rural Recovery Program in the West Midlands. The same conditions obtain in Cyprus, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Kenya where the potentials of rural tourism have been recognized but where efforts are still largely on the planning stage. For the moment, their governments are preoccupied with producing brochures and websites encouraging rural tourism.

Analysis

If the Gites and Fermes-Auberges were any indications, the rural tourism policy in France is the most superior among the undertakings mentioned in the case study. It looks at rural tourism development with sustainability in mind. In terms of economic benefits, for example, the Gites provide extra income to farmers who can return to their farms during the tourism off-season even as it helps diversify and stabilize the local economy. The same economic benefit radiates from the Fermes-Auberges project, which also serves to enrich the social life of locals by admitting tourists into their farms. The scheme also does not harm the environment because there are no natural resources involved that can be degraded by stampeding visitors.

This cannot be said of the rural tourism policy in Ireland, which is more village-based than farm-based. As noted in the case study, the tourism activities encouraged in Ireland are golfing, native dance and music, angling, natural history, and the like, with rural areas serving only as a backdrop. When you exclude farming and food production in rural tourism, this is not sustainable rural tourism development because agriculture is the backbone of local economies. In sum, the best strategy for rural tourism is one that considers the social, economic, and environmental implications of allowing tourists into rural areas.

Conclusion

As part of ecotourism, rural and sustainable tourism often fails to live up to standards when policymakers forget that tourism is a highly consumer-centered activity and that economic growth is closely related to environmental preservation. To be sustainable, the environmental benefits must outweigh the economic gains. In Africa, for example, many of the countries derive economic benefits from tourism but the rush of visitors caused the displacement of persons and environmental hazards. This damage is irreversible and could not be ameliorated by all the incoming dollars from tourism. When tourists are allowed into a place, this means an increase in population that, though temporary, exerts pressure on the environment and requires the development of new infrastructure and accommodation facilities. The need is to determine that the economic benefits accruing from tourism justify this increase in development costs.

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Introduction

Even though travel and leisure are more available today than they ever have been, for many people experiences of the world are gained more through virtual channels than by actually discovering this world first-hand. We may be interested in what’s happening in Iraq, but we don’t actually have the time, the finances or the determination to purposely travel to a war zone. Instead, we depend upon the descriptions of others to help us understand the situation ‘on the ground.’ The problem with this is that we neglect to understand just how much of this description depends upon the way in which the author views it and portrays it within his work. Depending on factors such as sentence length, word choice and point of view, a very different impression might be reached when reading about the same general topic as is seen when comparing a less controversial topic in Richard Byrd’s article “Alone in the Antarctic” with Graham Billing’s “Life in the Antarctic.”

Sentence length

Within these two descriptive paragraphs, the authors utilize the element of sentence length to denote different ideas regarding the nature of the Antarctic. Byrd uses short, choppy sentences and phrases to give the place a sense of desolation and lifelessness. He says, “Advance Base was geared to different laws. On getting up in the morning, it was enough for me to say to myself: Today is the day to change the barograph sheet, or, Today is the day to fill the stove tank” (Byrd). The first sentence is very short, giving an impression of finality in its different laws. The second sentence is compound, but chopped into small phrases and internal statements. This is very different from the long run-on sentences found in Billing’s paragraph. The first sentence of the piece runs for five and a half lines. In talking about the various ways that the ocean helps to regulate the life cycles of the Antarctic through its dense populations of plankton, Billing’s long sentence reinforces the idea of irrepressible energy and life. Following this sentence is a relatively short sentence that is the only break the reader gets before reaching the last sentence, another marathon run-on statement that stretches across more than six lines of text. The reader is given a sense of breathless vitality as compared to the lifeless inactivity depicted in Byrd’s paragraph.

Word Choice

Word choice can also have a tremendous effect on the way in which a reader might understand a description. Byrd begins his paragraph with the somewhat puzzling statement, “May was a round boulder sinking before a tide.” His choice of words forces the reader to immediately engage with the text in order to understand that the word ‘May’ in this statement actually refers to the month of the year. Having achieved this, it is then necessary for the reader to make the connection between the imagery of the boulder sinking before a tide and the concept of a particular month.

Within this first short sentence, Byrd has given his reader a sense of unavoidable decline, inevitable destruction and associated it with the month most closely associated with a return of the sun and springtime, the season of growth. These ideas are reinforced by the end of the selection as he discusses the characteristics of the lifeless darkness of his surroundings. This is strongly contrasted against the energetic language used by Billing as he uses active verbs to describe the setting. The sea is “freezing”, the “salt-heavy water” was “motivating” and “the giant whales” are “tending their circumpolar pastures rolled ceaselessly among the endless west-wing driven storms and swells opening and closing their cavernous jaws” (Billing). While Byrd’s language is halted and disintegrating, Billings’ is active and moving.

Point of view

Finally, point of view has a great deal to do with the author’s impressions as well as the way in which the reader understands his perspective. Byrd’s paragraph is presented in first person evidently giving an impression of the Antarctic just at the beginning of the Antarctic winter. “My world was insulated against the shocks running through distant economies” (Byrd). The world he sees is increasingly covered in darkness as his first-person account gets the reader more intimately involved in the action, or inaction, of the piece. This is contrasted against Billings’ third-person point of view in which he is describing the cycles of life he knows occur. “And in the vast vegetable seas the whalefeed, the shrimp-like krill, multiplied in geometric progression” (Billings) sounds like the description that might be handed down by God as he instructs us on how the world works. The reader is removed from the action but is aware that action is happening.

Conclusion

In comparing these two paragraphs, one gets a completely different sense of the world of the Antarctic that seem to be mutually exclusive. While the Antarctic of Byrd is found to be cold, dark and lifeless, that of Billings is seen to be full of life, light and energy. The paragraphs are equally attractive to the reader as Byrd engages the reader through his first-person presentation and Billings does so with his energetic use of language. As we consider the words we read to glean information about the world we cannot directly experience for ourselves, it is important to keep these ideas in mind to try to determine just how these reports might be skewed intentionally or unintentionally by the focus of the writer and the techniques he uses.

Works Cited

Billing, Graham. “Life in the Antarctic.”

Byrd, Richard E. “Alone in the Antarctic.”

Abstract

In the third world countries like Peru tourism has been classified as the major country’s foreign earner and has been heavily relied on to change the poverty levels that bedevil these countries. 7 % of the Peruvian GDP is made up by the tourism industry and the industry is listed as the fastest growing in the country. The tourism sector alone employs about 10.8% of the total Peruvian labor force and stands at approximately 480,000 direct employments and about 340, 000 indirect employments especially in the hospitality and infrastructure sectors. (www.andeantravelweb.com)

There are various other benefits that tourism comes with like earning the country much needed foreign exchange especially in this harsh economic times, lifting of millions of people from poverty to the middle class. This has led to the springing up of other industries like hotels and restaurants plus the improvement of the country’s transport; all as a result of the direct effect of tourism.

However there are others who argue that with the influx of tourists into the country especially in the rural areas bring with them vices that were unheard-of before; for example prostitution has been on the increase and cases of child prostitution are have increase tremendously in the recent times.

Nature of Tourism in Peru

Peru has a variety of sites that appeal to a wide variety of tourists and this has worked to their advantage especially in the area of cultural tourism. Cultural tourism perhaps could be considered as the largest sector that supports the tourism industry in Peru. With hundreds of ruins of the pr-Columbian civilizations and some of them being more than a five hundred years old, this is a magnet for archeological enthusiasts the world over. The architectural designs in the Peruvian capital of Lima are direct evidence of the colonial past of the country (Peruvian Governmental Tourism Agency). Lima is also home to many acclaimed museums that reflect the diverse history of this country.

Another form of tourism in Peru is eco-tourism where the Amazon jungle comes to mind. Peru has 60% of its land mass in the Amazon and it has done a good job preserving it. It is a fact that the Peruvian Amazon jungle “is perhaps one of the world’s best unspoiled, virgin and untouched rain forests on earth”. The diversity of animal and plant life is unrivalled by any other rain forest on earth.

Adventure tourism is also developing in the country where the rugged landscape and geographical diversity makes it possible to go surfing, mountain climbing and rafting.

Beach tourism is probably the next stop for a tourist after exploring the country’s ruins and architecture. With a 2414km long coastline, there are so many beaches that are attractive to any type of traveler.

Effects of Tourism

The obvious effect is the creation of jobs and the flowing in of foreign exchange. However, argue that tourism brings with it prostitution and drug problems to the urban areas and rural areas. There is also the problem of degradation of its beaches due to the vast human traffic passing through them.

On the flip side, the tourism industry has encouraged the government to preserve the various ruins like the Machu Piccu and its huge rainforests because their direct contribution to the economy is rather obvious. Let us not forget how a good tourism sector always portrays a country in good light and nothing beats free publicity.

“Mainstream tourism has long been criticized for excluding local, indigenous people. While community-based tourism helps those marginalized by the mainstream tourism industry, it tends to benefit the more privileged “(Carnaffan) which is true to some extent. If the rural communities are empowered and there is equitable distribution of resources, the rich -poor divide won’t be so big. All this can be minimized by passing the necessary legislation and giving more autonomy to the local authorities.

References

Carnaffan Jane, Community based Tourism: Getting down to the grass roots: Some Peruvian Experiences. 2009. Web.

Andean Travel Web 2000 – 2008: Peru: Adventure Travel Guide to South America: 2009. Web.

Information sheet

Camping solutions is a state-of-the-art store that deals with camping materials such as tents, tarps, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, headrests, hiking equipment, mountain bikes, pets camping kits, inflatable boats among others for an effective camping experience. We are dedicated to providing our customers with all the camping equipment they need to put up a camping site for their customers in whichever weather condition. Our camping materials exist in a variety of materials to match every customer’s needs and tastes.

Our mission is to provide our customers with quality camping materials which meet their expectations at friendly prices accompanied by excellent customer service.

We are reaching out to hotels and campsite owners wishing to purchase camping equipment to be used by customers who want to camp at their sites. Our camping equipment can be used by families, individuals, or groups on a camping adventure.

We realize the importance of appropriate camping equipment in enhancing camping experiences therefore our equipment is geared towards addressing our customer’s needs. Our camping equipment is made from high-quality material making them comfortable. People seek to be comfortable during camping to have a good time and campsite managers seek to provide this comfort to their customers by providing the best camping conditions using good camping equipment.

Our equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, and other fabricated equipment is made from tough materials to ensure durability. This will enable us to give our customers value for their money because customers want what they buy to serve them until they decide to replace it.

We at camping solutions seek to provide the most cost-effective camping equipment at our low prices. We also give discounts to our customers depending on the number of purchases made.

We have a variety of equipment to suit various users’ safety needs about their age group whether they are children, adolescents, or adults.

Camping solutions has simple camping equipment such as tents which can be quickly set up at the camping sites and are easy to use by the customers. This helps to save time especially when a big number is expected.

We are looking forward to contacts from customers managing hotel camps or other campsites wishing to purchase varied camping equipment from us. We are hoping to get a chance to serve you at our store with whatever needs there are for camping materials. Our hands-on experience will help us to serve you well.

We at camping solutions are committed to giving exemplary customer service. However, some camping equipment such as sleeping bags can cause suffocation in very young children if fully zipped up. This calls for educating the users on protecting children from possible suffocation.

Hiking should be under supervision especially when it involves children. Some of the equipment such as the rope can be cut when exposed to rough surfaces or fires. Safety measures should be taken while hiking to stop accidents from happening. Proper use must be ensured to guarantee safety.

Tents, sleeping bags, and tarps should be protected from sharp-cutting surfaces and fires. Most of them are made from canvas material thus fires and cuts can cause wear and tear.

Reference

Smith, I., 2004. Meeting Customer Needs. Butterworth- Heinemann Publishers.

Weitz, B., Wensley, R., 2006. Handbook of Marketing. Sage.

Tourists and tourism activities play a great role in building the identity of individuals, communities, and societies. Among the global and local consequences of tourism, the construction of identity specifically to the host society is evident. Touristic culture, therefore, forms the center stage through which identity is negotiated and constructed. Tourists in the process of mingling with the locals directly or indirectly influence their, ethnic, elite, and national character. This paper aims to explore the linkage between tourism and various forms of identity construction in society, and the correlation between the identities. The discussion will mainly feature the influence of tourism, and the role it plays in the construction of people’s character across a nation, ethnic group, race, and gender.

The linkage between tourism and national, ethnic, gender, and race identity construction.

Tourism, specifically in the domestic context plays a significant role in the formation and development of national identity in a specific society. Gender, race, and ethnic identities are usually involved in shaping the national identity in a specific society. Heritage sites such as museums and parks act as tourists attraction centers for both domestic and international tourists. These sites are highly involved in influencing the construction of national identity while displaying the local’s cultural ethnic practices.

Nationalism “imagined community,” is a feature of national identity which is developed among diverse ethnic populations through significant heritage sites, which are core elements of tourism. Promotion of the sense of common identity and creation of “imagined community” are national goals, whereby tourism plays a great role. (Pretes, 2003).

Tourism to some extend bridges the gap between different cultures and ethnic groups in the creation and development of national identity. The link between national, race, and gender identity formation and tourism in the United States will be explored in various tourists attraction heritage sites in the South Dakota state, particularly the Rushmore National Memorial in the black hills. The monumental sculpture of the four greatest American presidents, associated with national values such as freedom and equality. The monument, which also serves as a national historical shrine is so dominating, that it accounts for most of the tourism activities in the state.

Pretes (2003) noted that the Rushmore monument (shrine of democracy) specifically makes domestic tourists have a sense of pride and happiness towards America while giving the viewers a nationalist understanding of an “American.” The monument brings out a common American culture, which gives both domestic and international tourists a hegemonic discourse of nationalism.

The Rushmore monument contributes to the building of gender identity among Americans. The sculptures express male power through the four father figures “the greatest leaders,” whereby the masculine gender identity is magnified. The monument acts as a national figure uniting the diverse races and ethnic populations of the United States of America. Through the site national, gender, ethnic, and racial identities are collectively constructed.

In Indonesia, the sense of national identity is greatly triggered by international as well as domestic tourism. As noted by Adams, Indonesia is an “archipelago nation,” having over 300 ethnic communities. To promote nationalism, the Indonesian Ministry of tourism strategized the aims and objectives of developing domestic tourism, for building and strengthening unity among its ethnic groups, reinforcing the community’s love for their nation, as well as promoting their national cultural life and tourists historical sites.

The Indonesian government also emphasized domestic tourism as a strategy of building their national identity, a move which would help in molding Indonesians to be better citizens, while instilling a sense of patriotism and nationalism among the Indonesians. The government also maintained that through domestic tourism, its nationals would intermingle with others, learning and experiencing their cultures. These diverse cultures are symbols of national treasures, which are fundamental for the promotion of nationalism, a national identity. The local cultures would help build the national identity (Adams, 2006).

Adams (2006) observed that other nations were also utilizing their diverse ethnic cultures and arts to build their multicultural national identity. The Belize nation is a perfect example. The nation has got four major ethnic groups, which it currently utilizes their ethnic differences as forms of attracting tourists and promoting national cohesion in experiencing the others cultures through domestic tourism just as in Indonesia.

Tourism has a direct link with cultural arts in the promotion of national and ethnic identity. Still, in the case of Indonesia, the country started the National Tourism Consciousness Campaign in 1990. The government in this campaign aimed at emphasizing creating awareness to the Indonesian communities on the importance of developing and embracing the Sapta Persona (Seven Charms). Each community or city was supposed to initiate a cultural display, in them demonstrating that they had the seven charms, i.e. hospitality, friendliness, security, beauty, cleanliness, comfort, and memories.

The tau-tau and tongkonan touristic cultural arts were the main focus in the Toraja Society. The Indonesian government believed that these cultural displays would promote tourism both international and domestic while strengthening the ethnic and national identity and discipline (Adams, 2006).

National museums, as well as theme parks in Indonesia, have contributed much to the construction of local ethnic identity. The Indonesian government is strongly supporting and advocating for the development of museums and theme parks, for showcasing the ethnic cultures of the numerous Indonesian communities. The linkage between inter-ethnic cultures is also emphasized. Domestic tourism in the museums and theme parks was the way through which Indonesians were to rediscover their ethnic identities while building a wholistic national identity. Therefore the national identity is promoted through the construction of ethnic identity. Despite showcasing and constructing ethnic identities, interethnic conflicts and differences are negotiated at these sites (Adams, 2006).

The Makassar Museum in Sulawesi city in Indonesia fueled ethnic conflicts between the Torajans and the Buginese communities. This was through the use of the Buginese to display ethnic dances and events perceived to be Torajan-oriented, intensifying the need for ethnic identity between the conflicting groups. The Torajans thought that the Buginese were profiting from their culture, hence had to assert their own ethnic identity.

The Sulawesi culture park was also another landmark initiated by the Indonesian government to suppress ethnic conflicts while addressing the ethnic identities of all communities. The different ethnic cultures were merged together in the museums and parks to produce a national identity of Indonesia. Domestic and international tourists had to experience the cultures of different communities without trekking the communities but just visiting the parks (Adams, 2006).

Tourism activities associated with the equinox, a ritual event among the Yucatan communities in Mexico, help in the construction of their ethnic cultural identity, which in turn shapes the national identity. The equinox is a historical memory event preserved in the Museum of the Maya culture. The Mexican government supports the culture as an official explanation of the equinox occurrence. The equinox event coincides with a Mexican national holiday on March 21^st which guarantees the event a great turnover. The event which is significant among the cultural festivals which attract tourists in Mexico acts as a major boost to strengthening the cultural ethnic identity among the Yucatan communities, and particularly the Maya (Casteneda, 1996).

Brennan (2004) noted that sex tourism was linked with the construction of transnational linkages between commercial sex workers and their clients (sex tourists). Sex tourism is so common among the Sosua women in the Dominican Republic, such that it plays the greatest role in constructing their transnational identity as commercial sex workers.

This practice also contributes to the shaping of gender and race identity among Dominican women in various ways. According to Brennan (2004), it is a gender role and responsibility for Dominican women to provide for their families, through working in the sex trade. Race identity has been constructed between sex workers and sex tourists, through the reinforcement of existing inequalities. The foreign sex tourists are considered superior to the locals, as they are the ones who control the sex relationships.

These transnational sex relationships, Brennan considered them the main factor behind racial inequalities and hierarchies, which contributes to the construction of racial identity. The Dominican national identity on sex tourism is built through the encouragement of women to take part in the labor force inclusive of commercial sex work (gender identity) who segregate certain races according to monetary ability (race identity).

There is a direct correlation between race, gender, class, and citizenship (national) identities, as constructed through sex tourists’ abilities. For instance, a white European male, of the middle class is considered to have a better economical ability than other tourist (Brennan, 2004).

Tourists’ apartheid (segregation) of certain places by race or citizenship greatly influences the link and correlation between race identity and national identity in a certain society. Poor countries such as the Dominican Republic are emphasizing on feminization of the countries’ workforce, even though gender inequalities exist in terms of payments. Race identity is impacting on the construction of national and gender identities.

Tourism has greatly influenced the construction of national, ethnic, gender and race identity among people in a particular setting. Gender, ethnic and race identities are usually main ingredients in the construction process of national identities. Through domestic and international tourism, national heritage sites such as museums, theme parks and historical monuments offer domestic tourists a sense of nationalism an aspect of national identity. Ethnic identities of different ethnic groups are constructed and shaped through recognizing their cultural arts, events, rituals or architecture in tourists and heritage sites such as the culture parks.

These cultures are merged in museums to give a blend of national identity. Sex-tourism has also contributed to the construction of transnational identities between sex workers and sex tourists. It has also contributed to the shaping of gender identity, particularly among women who participate in the sex trade with tourists. Different governments are putting efforts in the creation of tourist sites in the quest to promote national identity while preserving the local ethnic identities.

Works cited

Adams, M., K. Art as Politics: Re-Crafting Identities, Tourism, and Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia. Manoa: University of Hawaii Press, 2006.

Brennan, D. What’s Love got to do with it: Transnational Desires and Sex Tourism in the Dominican Republic. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2004.

Casteneda, Q. Vernal Return and Cosmos: That Serpent on the Balustrade and the New Age Invasion. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1996.

Pretes, M. “Tourism and Nationalism” Annals of Nation Tourism Research. 30:1 (2003): 125-142.

Even though five years have passed, I am still in an enthralling mood when remembering those golden days. In each and every moment my heart really misses those beautiful places and my dearest friends whom I got there. And at the same time, I am so thankful to the Jewish organization named Raje, which gave me and my friends a chance to get such a great experience in life. It is this great well known charitable organization that provided funds for our trip. It was a three week trip and it started at our school. First, our group moved to the most attractive land of Prague. It is a beautiful place which enthralled us. We could see there the oldest temples and shops in the world and we didn’t take a chance to miss those. Then we started our journey through an area where we found only the Jewish community. While I led my way through this place, my eyes filled with tears as there I saw the funeral place of about 17,000 Jews who were assassinated. While I wiped my tears, I saw that this scene was a heart wrenching sight for my friends too. It was the most heart-breaking situation which we experienced in our journey and I can’t forget it in my life. I think that this experience will be there in my heart until my last breath. I really feel that Prague is the most attractive city which I have ever seen in my life and it looks like a village that we read in fairytales. Mostly, people of Jewish community lived in Prague, but later the majority of them changed to Christianity when one of the old synagogues and Jewish district were burned out. There are many synagogues in Prague, and among them three synagogues are very famous and beautiful. As the synagogues were damaged, most of them are rebuilt. When we enter there, we feel like we are in a wonderland. The Jewish people’s culture and dress style are totally different and all of them are very orthodox. In Prague, most of the people are emigrants from other places and it seems that mainly inter-caste marriages take place among Jewish people. I think it is in Prague we find the most historic places and many of them are in Jewish villages. “A popular tourist site, the Hebrew and Roman faced clocks; (the clock with the Hebrew letters turns counterclockwise) can be found on the office of the Jewish Community Federation of the Czech Republic and the Jewish Town Hall.” (Weiner). When I was in this city, I used to go to two restaurants to enjoy the special Jewish dishes which are very famous. In Prague, there are many temples, museums, parks, and it is the best place for shopping where we get many monuments. In museums we can see many photographs, scripts, paintings, pictures of famous artists etc which are incomparable. From there we moved to Israel and the days which we spent there made us feel that it is really our own abode.

The trip to Israel is an unforgettable experience in my life. We saw an entirely different kinds of people and many beautiful natural scenes. We could understand the real history of Israel, which until that, we studied only in our history class. Caesarea is the most attractive place because of its beautiful landscape. There are many famous museums there and we visited almost all of them. The old towers which still remain there make the visitors feel that they are in the Roman era. We moved through each and every small place. We saw the walled city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea too. The dress style of the people in Israel is entirely different from people of other countries. There we saw that women with traditional Jewish concepts are entirely different in their dress style. The women are very humble which can be realized from their dress style. They cover their body “from head to toe in conservative long skirts, long sleeved tops, closed flat shoes, hose and headgear” (Israel, where style mirrors a country of contrasts). But the others, even though they cover their body they use highly colorful and modern dresses. There we saw a mixture of traditional and modern concepts of lifestyle.

We viewed many marvelous scenes there. The most challenging experience in our trip was that we climbed the mountain to have a glimpse of the sunset. I think it is from here one can watch the setting of sun more beautifully than from any other part of the world. I and my friends enjoyed this. This scene was the most enchanting one. We can’t ever view such beautiful places in any other place in the world. The class which was conducted for us in Jerusalem gave a brief description on Theresienstadt concentration camp of Nazi Germans. It was here, many Jews of Germany, Austria were imprisoned. We learned much about Jews and their culture from the class we attended.

The trip to Israel and Prague is an unforgettable event in my life. I am so proud of myself to have experienced a trip like this.

Works Cited

Israel, where style mirrors a country of contrasts. Youlookfab. 2009.

Weiner, Rebecca. The virtual Jewish History Tour Prague: Tourist Sites. Jewish Virtual Library: A Division of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 2009.

Dark tourism is a form of tourism that involves visitations of places that have been characterized by deaths, disasters and catastrophes. It involves individual touring places such as cemeteries and graveyards especially where famous people have been buried after death, horrific crash sites like the crash site of princess Diana battle fields and death camps among other places characterized by macabre or where such events are acted as a commemoration of horrible events that happened in the past.

London dungeons are one of the famous dark tourism destinations that are managed by entertainment. The purpose of this paper therefore was to find out the social impact of dark tourism in the London dungeons. It therefore sought to find out the meaning and examples of dark tourism, the negative and positive significances of dark tourism, London dragoons in particular and find out the relationship between death and macabre and dark tourism.

The research was mainly carried out using a literature survey due to time and resources limitation and the limited accessibility to the site. The paper found out that dark tourism has greatly enriched the culture and heritage of the places in which its located, encouraged cultural exchanges, offers entertainment to the local and foreign tourists, an opportunity for generation to learn about historical events among others. In addition the dark tourism is associated mostly with deaths and disasters hence it at times causes negative psychological effects to the visitors especially those who are affected since it may replay the act which they have been trying to forget.

Dark tourism is a form of special tourism that involves individuals visiting places that are associated with horrific and unpleasant events such as death and disasters (Tarlow, 2005). Just like any other form of tourism, dark tourism comes with massive significance and impacts greatly to the areas that visitations take place. In fact, dark tourism has both economic and psychosocial impacts (negative and positive) on the local communities as well as the region where the fundamental attractions and visitations exist.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of dark tourism as a phenomenon and analyze it using SWOT. It gives an analysis to the social impact of dark tourism to the London dungeons and provides analysis of the relationship of death and macabre with dark tourism.

What is dark tourism?

The term dark tourism was first used in 1996 as an improvement of the Lennon’s black spots. It therefore refers to individuals being attracted to places where unpleasant events such as death and horror have taken place. Since then, different authors have generated varied forms of definition to the term (Lennon, 2000).

According to the later, dark tourism is a form of tourism that involves visitations of sites that are characterized by deathly and horrific scenes. Dark tourism is a form of tourism where people tour sites that have historically or in the recent past been associated with horrible events and bloody scenes leading to deaths or rather unpleasant outcomes. Such scenes include prisons and execution centers, battle fields associated with mass human deaths locations of historic origins, historical slavery dens to name but a few (Foley & Lennon, 1996).

Dark tourism involves touring Holocausts, horrific accidents sites, murder scenes, areas that have been destroyed by horrific (natural/ manmade) disasters cemeteries and graveyards (Tarlow, 2005). Lennon (2000) defined dark tourism as the actual consumption of macabre and horrific. Ideally, the latter are unusual tour attractions in that it is a travel activity that involves individuals touring sites and places that are associated with violent deaths and suffering or rather deathly scenes or history. Some authors such as Copper & Fletcher (2005) referred to dark tourism as grief tourism, perhaps due to the high level of horror and grief that is associated with the scene or sites that forms the fundamentals of its attractions.

The examples of dark tourism attractions

Attractions or sites that have continued to form the basis of dark tourism have been on the increase and are now very common in the world over. It is important to note that most of the attraction sites are related to death or disasters either historical or those which have recently taken place (Lennon & Foley, 2000). However, such places are increasingly becoming customized to appeal to a wide range of tourists (Stone, 2006),

such includes but not limited to the site that previously hosted the world trading center or rather the twin towers building and which has been nicknamed as the ground zero, the mass death region, where more than six million people were killed and which is famously referred to as the Nazi death camps, Lockerbie in Scotland the place where a TWA jumbo was blown up in 1988, the infamous Paris tunnel in which princess Diana died during the 1997 chase by the paparazzi the site that forms the grief memories of john Lennon who was assassinated outside the Dakota in 1980 and which is also referred to as the central park strawberry fields and the Hiroshima in Japan the historical point where the debutant atomic bomb was dropped (Lisle, 2000).

The history of dark tourism

Although dark tourism emerged as a field of study recently the discipline has existed over the years and thus it has a long history. For instance, the ancient roman gladiators formed an example of the historical site that used to attract masses of visitors during the mediaeval time and which the local hanging and execution of the errant and slaves formed the major attraction to the sites (Foley & Lennon, 1996).

Also, it can be remembered that during the mid 1880s, a team of British travelers under the leadership of Thomas cook toured the American civil war battlefields. In addition, a group that was led by Mark Taiwan visited the extensively damaged city of Sebastopol. In another form of ancient tourism, tourist in Victorian Britain organized and implemented a tour to the various mosques a move that opened a leeway to many individuals developing unmatched interest in and allure of visiting death and tragedy cites either to witness the occurrences themselves or to commemorate the unpleasant event. According to Stone, (2006), dark tourism existed even on the middle ages but rather intensified in the 1700 and 1800.

Objectives of Dark Tourism

Dark tourism has numerous objectives. First, individuals may tour an execution site with a sole objective of witnessing the public execution or killing of individuals an activity that is often referred to as gawking or to view a place that has the history of individuals or mass deaths that happened to take place in the past. For instance, individuals visit Gallipoli Cambodia and Soham all of which are sites where mass deaths took place.

Furthermore, individuals develops interest in touring memorial or funeral places where for instance famous people were buried such as the graveyards commemorative plaques, tombs and war memorials as well as the tours aimed at getting first hand evidence or representational feature of deaths e.g. the royal armories in Leeds (united kingdom) and worldwide museums and the famous London dungeons where variety of deaths and disasters exhibitions that occurred in the past either as a result of cruel sentencing and execution or disasters such as the great London fire are shown (Stone, 2006).

The dark tourism spectrum

Dark tourism can be classified into seven main categories which include dark fun factories, the dark exhibitions, the dark dungeons, the dark resting places, the dark shrines, the dark conflicts sites, and the dark camps of genocide. The latter and which is reoriented in the darkest area of the dark tourism spectrum refers to the sites of attraction that are associated with labor, execution and death camps where mass killings of people is believed to have in fact taken place.

Examples of such camps are the Cambodia and the Treblinka. The dark shrines are often temporary or semi permanent and involves use of floral tributes on the road sides and whose main objective of visitation is to commemorate or honor individuals who died recently (Lennon & Foley, 2000). According to stone (2006) dark shrines are increasingly becoming attractive and being developed to targets individuals with melancholic interest thus have become hob for the latter.

On the other hand dark resting places are mainly those areas that make the actual resting places of individuals who died or were killed (graveyards or places of burial) they form the places that are cemetery or graveyards, Dark fun factories on the other hand are taken to occupy the lightest area of the dark tourism spectrum and offers mainly entertainment opportunity for the visitors. They are highly illustrational and offer display of morbidity (Stone, 2006).

Dark fun factories are mainly a representation of the dungeon ideologies such as the London dungeons run by Merlin entertainment limited. This category of dark tourism is entertaining hence it is the most attractive and socially accepted form of dark tourism. Examples of dark fun factories include the York dungeon, the Black Death, Jack the ripper and the famous Dracula Park in Romania (Stone, 2006).

Social impact of dark tourism: the London dungeons

Just like the field of dark tourism is itself new, very little research has in the past been conducted on the social significance of this form of tourism to the region and the communality in which they actually takes place. Most of the analyses of dark tourism have tended to lean towards the economic impact hence the area of social significance had been quite neglected over the years. However, dark tourism has both negative and positive social effects. In effect, the dark tourism as a phenomenon offers a region with opportunity (positive effects) as well as threats (negative effects) the negative significance of the tourism can be looked as its weaknesses while the positive impacts are source of the tourism strengths.

Disasters and the emerging visitations that have emerged in the London dungeons have offered platform (opportunity) based on engagement between the visitors and the local communities creating an environment via which friendship and lasting social partnerships can emerge for mutual benefits. Such events as the natural catastrophes (the great London fire), and war that results in extensive destruction of regions leaves a region extremely depleted as a result.

The local community can therefore make advantage of the visitors who happens to be sympathizers of the place to form local strategic partnerships that will certainly help reconstruct the area and hasten the healing process (Stone, 2006). For example, the city of Belfast formed a local strategic partnership with the visiting tourist who succeeded in achieving its objective to enhance reconciliation and regeneration of the city after it had been hit by a disaster.

Areas that have been hit by natural catastrophes, deaths, and horrific incidences are usually characterized by a cloud of grief among the local survivors. Tourists who visit these areas assist the local’s recovery process through the psychological support that they offer to them. As a result this kind of dark tourism hastens the healing process among the affected locals. Also, the visitation after events such as wars between two or more warring communities can help reconcile them. In addition strategic partnership that is formed after the crises can spell joint effort by the affected communities to together handle the aftermath of the disasters as an integrated unit.

Dark tourism serves the purpose of opening up regions that had been previously secluded and unknown and which can now attract visitation simply because they have been hit by disasters. For instance Soham attracted public interest after the juvenile school girls were murdered.

As a result, a new page of social integration and relationship between the local communities and the tourists is opened up and offers a strategic opportunity for both groups to benefit both socially and economically from each other (Lisle, 2000). In addition, some dark tourist attractions of the London’s dungeons sites are believed to offer historical heritage to the place and society in which they exist. Touring such places therefore will offer the visitor an opportunity to an experience of such heritage and offers the local community a sure source of pride and history.

In addition, the sites have helped the Britain society to preserve such culture and heritage hence the future generation will have a chance to get in terms with the valuable history of the past events that happened in that particular place in the past. To the visitor, touring such place offers an opportunity of social incorporation via a thorough understanding of the world’s history and the world that surrounds them. Moreover, dark tourism or touring the site where something horrific happened especially by the affected however how distant one is will help the individual to get in to real terms of the event, grief and possibly heal or rather recover.

The positive economic impacts are also contributed to the social rejuvenation of the site, as well as the immediate community through creation of employment to the poor and previously unemployed local communities as well and the direct financial contributions can help rebuild the affected area and improving the psychosocial conditions of the local. The London dungeons have also been customized to offer a wide range of entertainment for people across the social groups. As a result it has offered an opportunity for tourist from far and wide to come and have differentiated fun at the dungeons offers a learning opportunity and where individual learn about the malpractices of the past thus hastening the process of civilization (Lisle, 2000).

However, dark tourism is believed to be interesting only to those individuals who are less affected by feelings. As a result those people who are highly emotional and horror averse will always avoid visiting such places hence the existence of such unbecoming scenes such as death and suffering will only attract tourists who are strong hearted and not horror phobic (Lisle, 2000). Visitation of such places especially by the weak social groups like women and children may have a far reaching negative psychological effect (to them) making them live in fear as well as developing psychological disorder.

For instance, a woman or a child who witnesses the real execution of killing human beings might be psychologically affected to the extents of being haunted by the memories of the scenes and perhaps having repeated nightmares (Lisle, 2000).

Such a person will forever live in fear and will always be mentally perturbed. Gawking to touring a place that have recently been affected by catastrophes especially where death is currently taking place or took place recently can have bad social impacts on the affected individuals. In fact this grim type of visitation (gawking) can make the affected to recall the bad event that they may be working hard to forget and move on. By visiting the site therefore one will be reviving the memories of the affected people and bring psychological grief and suffering to the latter (Stone, 2006).

A gangling tourist can be viewed as lacking respect and feelings for the affected i.e. insensitive to the feelings of others, a voyeur and an exploiter which is rather immoral. The London dungeons that are operated by Merlin entertainment is a site that offers a wide range of preservation mainly of death and macabre history. However, extensive humor and theatricals have been introduced in the site over the years so as to lessen the grim mood that used to engulf the site and make it more appealing for visitations especially by children. Following these developments, the dungeons can now attract large number of tourism from different parts of the world.

The death and macabre related to dark tourism

Right from the definition, it can be seen that the pedestal in which this form of tourism rests on is mainly the events and sites that are associated with death, horrific or disasters. As such death and horror or, macabre and dark tourism are one and the same since it is these unpleasant events that form the basic attractions. A review of the London dungeons reveals that almost all the events that attract visitors to the site are death or disaster related (Stone, 2006).

For instance, Jack the Ripper is a show of the horrific murdering of the harlots in the Whitechapel in 1888. The tourists are thus taken through the exhibitions of these brutal murders and even shown models of debilitated bodies of the victims and even a film of the last two culprits e.g. the horrific bodies with cut throats and pulled out intestines. Although all what transpires in the jack the ripper is all action, the actors make it appear as if it is happening in reality making the tourist breath in an air of death and horror.

Other event that takes place in the dungeons is shows about the great fire of London that burnt the greater part London, Traitor, the boat ride to hell, the imitations of the great plague of London among other scaring events. Although some attractions of dark tourism at time serves an entertainment purpose, most sites are commemoration or actual occurrences of death, bloody events such as deathly accidents, war torn regions and areas that have been hit by natural tragedies or catastrophes.

For instance Soham is related with the grisly murder of two school going girls and hence a dark tourism attraction site. The Paris tunnel attracts visitation mainly because it is where Princes Diana was killed , the Cambodia killing field, where more than 20 000 Cambodians were killed by a genocide in the 70s is also an attraction of dark tourist the Nazi death camps where more than six million people were killed to mention but a few (Lisle, 2000). This shows that dark tourism and its development is significantly associated with death disasters and killings.

Dark tourism has had and still has significant social effects on the London dungeon, a dark tourism sites that act as an archives of past deaths that resulted from historical injustices, murders and horrific disasters such as the infamous great fire of London. The tourism however has both the positive and negative social effects not only to the local community but also to the visiting tourism. However, the positive effects greatly outweigh the negative ones.

Among the most devastating effect of dark tourism is the psychological fear that the scenes and the apes of past horrible deaths are likely to cause especially among the weaker social groups mainly women and children tourists and locals. Also it has the effect of gawking which reminds the affected of the past horror which has a bad psychosocial effect. Moreover, dark tourism contributes massively to the economy and reconstruction of the affected place as the empathizing visitors tend to contribute towards the reconstruct and assistance of the affected locals.

In order to offset the negative psychosocial effect the stake holders should add more entertainment to the dungeons.

References

Copper. C & J, Fletcher. (2005), Tourism Principles and Practice, 3rd ed, UK, British library cataloguing-in-publication.

Foley and Lennon (1996): JFK and Dark Tourism Heart Of Darkness: Journal of International Heritage Studies 2(4) 198-211.

Harpley, R. (2006), Are we turning to dark The Side? Web.

John Lennon, M, Foley. (2000), Dark tourism Published: 1^sted, UK, CENGAGE Learning, EMEA.

Lennon J & M Foley (2000), Dark Tourism: The Attraction of Death and Disaster, Continuum.

Lisle D (2000) Dark Tourism: Where Tragedy Becomes a Tourism Draw. Web.

Measuring social impact, 2004, SROI Primer

P, R, Stone. (2000), A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions.

Stone, P.R (2006) A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and Macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions tourism: An Interdisciplinary International Journal Special Issue on Spirituality and Meaningful Experiences in tourism 52(2) 145-160.

Tarlow (2005) Dark Tourism: The appealing dark” side of tourism and more in Niche tourism, edited by Novelli M, Oxford, and Elsevier Butterworth – Heineman.

Introduction

In a fast-growing environment, technology has a vital role in the day to day life. Many companies use various modern technologies to provide maximum satisfaction to the customers. Compared to other industries, the hospitality industry has now become the largest industry in the world. So they have taken more care about the needs and requirements of the customers. Therefore, the hospitality field is forced to acquire new technology to provide maximum satisfaction to the customers. “High tech is required for the multi-dimensional resource planning of resources, facilities, staff, and clients.” (Kristopson, 2004, p.146).

Main body

High technology and high touch mean providing the best service to the customers, and interaction among the staff and customers. In today’s world, technology is growing very rapidly and for the existence of every business, they have to cope with the changing technology. The main factor needed for the existence of any business is customer satisfaction and cooperation. So, in such cases, hospitality is essential for the success of the business. The hospitality industry uses the latest technologies to boost its service for the accomplishment of business goals. So the “companies become more responsive to customer needs, more efficient in their operations and more successful in the long run – even in an economic downturn.” (Maestre, 2001, para.3). Hospitality management ensures customer service, satisfaction, and safety, etc. The hospitality industry employs well-qualified and efficient staff to fulfill the needs of the customer in a better way. “Resort and casino operators for years tracked regular customers and knew not only their preferred accommodations but also their client’s taste in décor, food and beverage favorites and support services.” (Hogan, 2009, James Durbin (retired) President, Marriott hotels, para.2).

The high tech and high touch are important for every business need to keep their customers happy. The personal relationship between the customer and businessman helps in knowing the customer’s needs so that they can provide the appropriate requirements of the customer. Technologies like wireless phones, internet services, video conferencing, etc help in improving the customer and staff relationship. These help to exchange information very fast. Thus, hospitality with high technology improves the growth of the business, and also the business can exist without any risk. Therefore, several resorts and clubs are utilizing this technology to increase the number of guests. The high technology and high touch offer technology-supported services to the customers which leads to improve efficiency and thereby increase in profit. This will also help to improve the quality of service. The high technology and high touch can maintain a good relationship with the customers in the respective industries. This technology also reduces the number of staff. Some of the disadvantages of these self-service systems are “service failure and service recovery, a reduction in interpersonal contact, the elimination of the social experience, and, because of its importance to relate to culture, technology anxiety.” (Fisher, & Beatson, 2002, p.7).

Conclusion

The word High touch is the sense of arts, religion, alternative medicine, and High tech include computers, telecommunication, etc. It mainly gives an idea about the influence of these two in our day-to-day life. High touch and high tech are related to each other in all senses. That is High tech and High touch are incorporated together in human life.

Reference

Fisher, G., & Beatson, A T. (2002). “The impact of culture on self-service technology adoption in the hotel industry: Technology and service encounter.” International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, 3(3), 59-77. QUT Digital Repository. Web.

Hogan, J. (2009). Blending high tech with high touch has become essential today for optimal results: James Durbin (retired) President, Marriott hotels. 4 Hoteliers: Hospitality, Hotel, and Travel News. Web.

Kristopson, D. (2004). Resort technology: High touch- high Tech: Skillfully blending technology into the resort/ club Experience: Spa and fitness facilities. Hospitality Upgrade: no reproduction or Distribution without Written Permission. 146. Web.

Maestre, R. (2001). Using technology to survive tough times. Express Hospitality. Web.

Traveling is an exciting type of spending free time. People travel all over the world. There are lots of ways to organize travel to any part of the world. Our task, for now, is to organize a trip to Athens.

The guide we used is the online Athens Greece guide, as it gives the whole necessary information about the country and its sights.

We plan the travel on the 15^th – 19^th of August, because this is a great time to be in the city in August as it is not too warm, and the streets are not too crowded.

We are going to depart at 5:30 am from Orlando (MCO) and arrive in Athens (AHN) at 10:04 am. It will cost $466.74 + $33.20 taxes and fees = $499.94 per person (1499.82 per three persons)

To get from the Airport to City Plaza Hotel by taxi costs € 25 – € 35, approximately 45 minutes. To get from the Airport to City Plaza Hotel by bus costs € 3.00 + € 0.80, approximately one hour. To get from the Airport to City Plaza Hotel by Metro costs € 8.00, approximately 45 minutes. We are going to choose the appropriate variant on the place. All destinations by metro (except Airport) cost € 0.80 per way. The minimum fare for a taxi is € 2.00. City Plaza Hotel is 35 km distance from the Athens International Airport, 9km distance from Piraeus Port, walking distance from Syntagma square (shopping center), Plaka (old town), and Kolonaki (shopping center), 1 km to the railway station.

We are going to stay at City Plaza Hotel. It is situated in Athens, Acharnon street and Katrivanou street, 78. Zipcode is 10434.

The Phone number of the hotel is 0030 210 8225111 or 8215112 and the fax is 0030 210 8225116. E-mail is [email protected]. The website is www.city-plaza.gr €89 is the price per night in a single room. Check-in: 3pm. Check-out: 11am. The City Plaza Roof Garden Bar offers the guests a panoramic view of the illuminated Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill while enjoying the wide selection of cocktails, snacks, and light dishes. It is opened from 8:30 pm till 01:30 am (May-Oct). Breakfast is from 06:30 till 09:30. Lunch is from 12:30 till 14:30. Dinner is from 19:30 till 21:30.

The best way to get to Acropolis is to walk there either from Syntagma, Plaka or Monastiraki, at the end of Adrianou street, we can walk up to the Acropolis through the Agora or going up the steps from Dioskouron street. The easiest way is to take the Metro of Athens and get off to the Acropolis station, at the exit towards Dionysiou Areopagitou located the entrance of the new Acropolis museum and after 3 minutes walk next to the Odeion of Herodes Atticus is the entrance to the Acropolis. There are also organized tours, where a visit to the Acropolis is the main attraction.

The Acropolis is opened from 8 am to 6:30 pm every day. These hours can be changed depending on the season and sometimes it is opened in the evening of the full moon in the summer. The entrance cost is about 12 euros.

I have chosen this site as I have found all the necessary information about the place there, when it is opened, and a lot of photos of Acropolis.

There are a lot of works of art in the museums of Athens. Ancient art is very important in our life, as it is our past. People who know their past deserve for future. Being in Athens we urgently recommend visiting Acropolis and museums in Athens. Especially we advise to see Anavysos Kouros, from Anavysos cemetery, near Athens, ca 525 BCE in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It is a male statue of life-size with a smile on its face, as a symbol of liveliness and vitality (Sayre 170). Greeks athletes performed nude and they were the beginners of the “cult of the body”. It is rather interesting to see what gave rise to that cult.

The other work of art we recommend seeing is Core from Chios. Ca, 520 BCE. It is a sculpture of a woman, which is a votive offering to Athena, and it also shows us the example of an ancient dress in the sixth century BCE (Sayre 172 – 173). We suppose it would be interesting to observe the contrast between exposing male and female figures.

We are going to visit two restaurants we found the most suitable for us. First is Alekos Metropolitan (Bar Restaurant). The phone number is 210 3319650, it is situated on Mitropoleos 74, Sintagma. It offers lots of various dishes, Italian cuisine, and unbeatable desserts.

And one more is Alexandras. Phone number is 210 8832711, the address is Alexandras, 10 (Park Hotel, ATHENS CENTER). The restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine, in classic surroundings with live piano music.

So, the plan of a trip is ready. Of course, it is not the only way of organizing the travel to Athens, but we did all depending on us to make it the most exciting, vivid and impressive. We hope you will enjoy the trip.

Works Cited

Athens City Plaza Hotel. Web.

Athens Greece Guide. 2003-2007. Web.

Barrett, Matt. Homepage. Athens Survival Guide. Guide to Athens, Greece. (2009). Web.

Greece. Web.

Grisel Gonzalez. The Acropolis Museum. Web.

Hotels Combined Pty Ltd. (2009). Web.

OneTime. (2004-2009). Web.

Genericville is one of America’s tour destinations that are frequented during summer time. This is encouraged by the rich diversity of birds and fish which find nourishment from the wide river that runs through the town. As a result of these flourishing flora and fauna, the town has marked itself as a center for tourist attraction, one event that has become an economic activity for the inhabitants of this area. The people of this area capitalize on the summer vacationers that frequent this area during summer time. Unfortunately, the riverbanks have extended their nurturing not only to birds and fishes that attract tourists but also mosquitoes that are responsible for the transmission of dangerous diseases like West Nile Virus.

The city Council has resorted to use a chemical called Malathion to kill the disease causing mosquitoes in order to save the population from WNV. Sad to say is that the chemical itself has its own side effects that might harm the society. This has become a topic of discussion among the members of the City Council as they try to analyze which risk is much preferred between the mosquitoes and the chemicals. To understand on which is the best decision to make, the following risk assessment has been designed to help analyze the situation.

Hazard Identification

This chemical is associated with so many defects. The following have been scientifically proved by Malathion medical research. In their research, Sinclair and pressinger (1994) outline the following side effects as associated to Malathion. Intestinal disorders in children exposed to it. It also leads to child leukemia and aplastic anemia which is caused by organophosphate pesticides Malathion being one of them. The same organophosphate pesticides lead to kidney disorders. Another problem associated with Malathion is birth defects exhibited both in humans and animals. Malathion leads to destruction of chromosomes in human blood cells. Malathion causes the deletion of DNA molecules from the white cells thus tempering with the immune system of the body. Malathion contains a chemical called trimethyl-phosphorothioate which leads to brain cells damage. In birds, it causes birth defects. Malathion also destroys cytotoxic lymphocytes a type of white blood cells that attack cancer cells and virus infected cells. In fish, the lowest level of Malathion leads to heart defects. Apart from that, it also damages gills in sport fish.

Frogs and tadpoles develop mutation while shrimps lose their food locating ability causing a serious break down of the food chain. Very low levels of this chemical leads to development of liver and kidney complications in lizards (Sawatzky, 2006).

Dose-response Assessment

The effects associated to this chemical vary according to the amount of dosage. For example, very low dosages can cause problems to animals like lizards, fish and birds. In addition to this dosage, it is noted that storage of this chemical for more than three months increases its toxic power. In addition to this, the exposure to the sun increases the toxic nature of this chemical. This means that Malathion is more toxic with the length in storage (Bonner et al).

Exposure assessment

Malathion is an element that is exposed to humans through the use of pesticides to control pests (EXTOXNET, 1996). This is more frequent in the agricultural sector where pesticides like Malathion are used to control harmful disease causing pests from crop farms. Apart from the agricultural farms, it can also be used in the spraying of bushes and river banks to eradicate mosquitoes. One of the most common uses is the use of shampoo to kill lies. Most of the chemicals used in these activities contain organophosphates that are dangerous to the health of the humans. This means that those humans who live in agricultural areas risk a greater exposure to this chemical as compared to others. In addition, people who live near river banks that are mosquito ridden and use chemicals to control them are at a greater risk of ending up with these complications.

Risk Characterization

With the use of Malathion to destroy mosquitoes in Genericville, the inhabitants will be exposed to high dosage of this chemical. They will therefore increase their chances of contacting these diseases that are associated with organophosphate. Its use will not only be in low dosage but high dosage which will be detrimental to the health of the inhabitants (Sawatzky, 2006).

The use of Malathion to control mosquitoes will be more destructive as compared to the prevailing situation. The logic here is that while mosquitoes are causing WNV to a population of about fifty people out of the hundred thousand living in Genericville, using Malathion will increase the number to greater. Therefore, the current risk of 0.0005 stands a chance of being raised to bigger levels. This will be as a result in the increase in the exposure of the people to Malathion after spraying.

Unlike mosquitoes that cause WNV to human beings only, the use of Malathion will affect the birds and fishes which are the major tourist attraction of the area. This in addition will lead to more diseases that are associated to poverty and other social ills like prostitution and insecurity as most of the people will have lost their jobs which are based on tourism.

Therefore, it is more advisable that the idea of using Malathion is voted out to save the city of Genericville from suffering other more complicated consequences. The money intended to buy the chemicals should therefore be used for purchasing nets to be distributed freely to the public.

References

Bonner, R., Coble, J., Blair, A., et al. “Malathion exposure and the incidence of cancer in the Agricultural healthy study”. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009. Web.

EXTOXNET. (1996). “Malathion.” Oregon State University. Web.

Sawatzky, W., (2006). “Mosquitoes vs. Malathion”. Manitoba. Web.

Sinclair, W., and Pressinger, R., (1994). “Health Effects Research Summaries”. Malathion Medical Research. Web.

World Health Organization. (2009). “Malathion.” Web.