Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites

Impacts Of Mass Tourism On Ecotourism Sites soft ecotourism often occurs on a large scale within certain accessible areas leading to the observation that ecotourism can and often does occur as a form of mass tourism (Weaver and Lawton, 200: 362). Critically evaluate, using examples, the social, economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism sites. From my studies and research in this subject area of geography it is evident that there is a link and indeed a relationship between ecotourism and mass tourism. In order to understand this relationship however we must take into account what exactly tourism means, and subsequently what is meant by ecotourism and mass tourism. What essentially is tourism? Undoubtedly there are many varying definitions to describe tourism but essentially tourism . . . is the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs (Alister Mathieson and Geoffrey Wall 1982, p.1) Tourism is unquestionably a leisure activity and there are many various forms of tourism including; Cultural tourism. Sex tourism. Adventure tourism. Geotourism. Event tourism. The tourism sector has experienced significant increase in later years due to higher incomes and greater transport amenities and accessibility. According to the Central Statistics Office Ireland website, www.cso.ie the number of trips by Irish residents on domestic travel has increased from 7,001 in 2004 to 8,340 in 2009.  [1]  The increase or enhancement of tourism within certain areas has varying impacts, both positive and negative, on the economic, social and environmental aspects. Ecotourism or ecological tourism essentially refers to travel to an area possessing natural, physical or cultural beauty for example rivers, beaches, mountains and wildlife ecosystems. The main purpose associated with this form of tourism is to maintain, protect and respect the value of the area. According to Mike J. Stabler et al, ecotourism refers to . . . a sustainable, non-invasive form of nature-based tourism that focuses primarily on learning about nature first-hand and which is ethically managed to be low impact, non-consumptive and locally orientated (control, benefits and scale). It typically occurs in natural areas, and should contribute to the conservation of such areas. (Mike J. Stabler et al, 2010, p.360). Ecotourism incorporates a wide range of activities from visits to natural ecosystems for example the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, physical activities such as mountain climbing and visits to see wildlife animals for example gorillas which I will discuss later in thi s essay. There are two main types of ecotourism; soft ecotourism and hard ecotourism. Soft ecotourism is generally the more popular form of ecotourism and usually involves short-term experiences which are nature led by a tour guide and in which the individual returns to a facilitated area. Due to the popularity of soft ecotourism it is more likely that mass tourism could develop as a result. Hard tourism on the other hand refers to the individual involving themselves in an intense experience devoid of amenities like accommodation, restaurants and shops for example The Hollies Centre in County Cork. Mass tourism can be quite difficult to determine as there are no insights as to how many tourists would classify as mass tourism. However it fundamentally refers to large scale tourism where there is a great or large amount of tourists in a given area at any one time. Mass tourism has come to the fore due to higher incomes and accessibility as previously mentioned and in addition to these the introduction of package deals has also played a vital part in this form of tourism. It is essential to note that there is a relationship between these two forms of tourism and one can influence the other hugely. Throughout this essay I will discuss the impacts, socially, economically and environmentally of mass tourism on ecotourism sites with reference to various examples. By controlling and managing potential mass tourism on an ecotourism site the negative social and environmental impacts are significantly reduced, ensuring the overall preservation and conservation of the site. Rwanda is a small country which is located in central Africa and is famous for its beautiful geographical scenery such as the scenic beaches at Lake Kivu and its vast series of mountains. In addition to the beautiful scenery, it also boasts an abundance of wildlife including various species of birds and the rare mountain gorillas. (Figure 1) Rwanda is known worldwide for these mountain gorillas and this undoubtedly is a main attraction for tourists. According to the Rwanda Tourism website, www.rwandatourism.com, the number of visitors in Rwanda increased from 826,374 in 2007 to approximately one million in 2008.  [2]  In addition to this gorilla tourism in Rwanda has grown significantly and reached a peak in 2008 when 17,000 tourists were recorded visiting the Volcanoes Nat ional Park alone (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.2.), with peak season being the months of July and August. Although the increase in Rwandas tourists would not be classified as mass tourism on a global scale, it is essential to note that this increase has had significant impacts in Rwanda. The Volcanoes National Park is located in northern Rwanda and lies on the border of Virunga National Park in the Congo and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The Volcanoes National Park enables tourists to experience the extraordinary gorillas up close. The level of tourism certainly has impacts on the ecotourism site socially, economically and environmentally. The local community in Rwanda has experienced both positive and negative impacts as a result of the increase in tourism. In relation to social impacts Rwanda has undoubtedly benefited. The income received in the country as a direct result of tourists in the park has meant that the local communities have socially grown. Under the ORTNP and with the support of the government, a tourism revenue scheme was initiated in 2005, meaning that 5% of revenue from park fees goes towards supporting local communities and projects. The following are examples of projects undertaken in Rwanda as a result of the revenue scheme; Schools; the construction of ten schools within the locality has dramatically cut down on travel time for locals to school. This enables pupils to focus on their studies, thus improving the quality of education in the area. Water Tanks; over 5,000 families within the locality have benefited from the construction of water tanks which provide 20,000 litres of water per person per day. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.11) The Rwandan community possesses a rich cultural society which is present in their arts and crafts for example woven baskets, pottery and painting. Tourist expenditure on such cultural crafts shows interest in local traditions and rituals and ensures the native culture survives amongst the varying cultures of tourists. Environmental impacts are a considerably important feature when referring to gorilla tourism in Rwanda. Due to the fact that these mountain gorillas are rare and endangered species conservation and protection of these animals is a priority. One can argue that tourism itself can have a detrimental impact on the animals and this undoubtedly is a fair argument. Gorilla tourism can and does present a threat to gorilla conservation as tourists can put stress and disturbance upon the gorillas. This can adversely affect the behaviour and health of the gorillas. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.16) Evidentially these factors could be responsible for a decline in populatio n size. However, as people in Rwanda have realised the potential danger, they are now managing mass tourism in the following ways in order to conserve the eco-site; Anyone who wishes to take part and experience closer contact with the gorilla species must purchase a permit which is expensive and limited. Tourists are willing to pay high prices for these permits and this essentially means that tourists are aware of and are supporting the ecotourism code of minimising ecological impacts. In addition to the high cost of permits and as briefly mentioned earlier, the revenue scheme means that 5% of this money is fundamentally re-invested back into the conservation and protection of the national parks. A set of rules and regulations have been introduced which prohibit risk to the gorillas. These rules are enforced by staff employed within the park. The following are some examples of rules and regulations enforced; Tourists have to keep a distance of 7 meters between themselves and gorillas. There is a daily limit of one group of tourists per group of gorillas, a limit to the number of tourists within that group and they are required to remain together. Visits are to have a limited time span of one hour. Minimum age requirement of 15. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.4) If we are to imagine this ecotourism site without any means of managing tourist numbers what would be the impacts environmentally? Undoubtedly the gorilla species in the Volcano National Park would become extinct. The population of the gorilla has already decreased in recent years and there is no question that extensive large scale tourism (larger than what Rwanda is currently experiencing) would decrease it even more. In terms of economic impacts with reference to tourism in Rwanda we can see that tourism is acting as an economic asset to the local communities. Employment in gorilla tourism is very significant and at least 180 employment opportunities have been created within the park including tour guides, anti-poaching teams and gorilla groups trackers. (Neilsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010, p.12) Benidorm is a coastal town situated in the province of Alicante in Spain. It is home to beautiful sandy beaches which attract numerous tourists every year. Originally prior to the 1960s it was a small village where farming and fishing were the main sources of income. During this time period Benidorm experienced little or no tourism.   Since then however Benidorm has developed tremendously and attracts as much as ten million tourists per year. As a result of this dramatic change the lives of the local people and indeed the landscape have changed dramatically. Tourists are attracted to Benidorm due to easy accessibility, cheap package deals, abundance of accommodation, the beautiful sandy beaches, nightlife and golf courses. The town of Benidorm developed rapidly in order to cater for this large scale tourism and this development has had social, economic and environmental impacts as a result. The construction of tourism related infrastructure has negative environmental impacts in the vicinity of Benidorm. Over consumption, over development, pollution and artificial reconstruction are amongst these negative impacts. Many high rise hotels were constructed in order to cater and maximise tourism within the town which immediately diminishes the beauty of the town and decreases attractiveness.   Pollution is an ongoing problem in the area. Tourism leads to extreme litter and extreme pressure on sewerage systems. Cheaper package deals have led to an increased level of air travel, thus increasing the levels of nitrous oxide, hydrocarbon and lead in the air. Over consumption of natural resources for example water is another negative impact of tourism in Benidorm in the past with tourists exploiting the resource in hotels and swimming pools. Reconstruction of beaches, and production of golf courses decreases originality, portrays a modern town and drains images of the picturesque fishing village that was once there. (Figure 2) According to an article on the BBC news website however, www.bbc.co.uk/news/ , Benidorm is now highlighted as the new face of ecotourism. The author describes the recent environmental positive impacts which were acknowledged and have occurred as a result of the initial negative impacts of mass tourism. In one hotel the lights immediately turn off upon vaca ting the room and many of the taps are foot-pump operated in order to save water which in turn tackles the overconsumption of the natural resource. In addition low energy street lighting is used. In relation to the economy of Benidorm there are both positive and negative impacts. The tourism industry is worth an impressive amount to the economy and is a vital asset in terms of job creation. The restaurants, pubs, hotels and shops employ a large amount of people from Benidorm and the surrounding areas which would perhaps be unemployed if it was not for high tourism levels. The majority of food is locally sourced which essentially means that money earned by local businesses is essentially going back into the local economy. However tourism in this town has negative impacts also. Many of the hotels in Benidorm are chain hotels and are foreign owned. This acts as a drain on the local economy as money leaves the country. The cost of living increased as a result of mass tourism with prices of houses and goods and services putting pressure on the locals. Socially, the huge numbers of tourists visiting Benidorm has resulted in a wide range of cultures which can have has both positive and negative effects. The wide multicultural society as a result of mass tourism indeed positive yet this can have strongly influence negative impacts. It can simply drown out the Spanish culture of the town and with such a diversity of cultures anti-social behaviour has occurred and remains a possibility when misunderstandings or insulting of different cultures occurs. In addition to this mass tourism can have adverse impacts socially for the locals. Mass tourism has led to a rise in inappropriate behaviour with tourists engaging in such activities as drug use and excessive drinking. Tourism also interrupts local access to amenities such as shops, roads, public parks and sporting facilities as well as public transport. From the examples I have discussed throughout this essay it is evident that there is indeed a relationship between the two forms of tourism- ecotourism and mass tourism. In relation to my two examples, gorilla tourism in Rwanda, Africa and tourism in Benidorm, Spain, it is essential to note that I took two different approaches in terms of discussing them. When referring to ecotourism in Africa, I discussed the impacts that managing tourist numbers has had on the ecotourism site. It is evident from this example that ensuring the impacts of tourism numbers on this destination are monitored and managed is vital for sustainable tourism industry. Without the management gorilla numbers would decrease and would eventually become extinct. Therefore the ecotourism site would not be viewed as a must-go destination and tourism would possibly cease. With specific reference to the tourist destination of Benidorm in Spain, I discussed the impacts which mass tourism had initially created on the are a. In contrast to this, in more recent years I have given an insight to how Benidorm has evolved from an area of mass tourism to an area portraying potential eco-touristic qualities. Tourism management in a destination that is in line with local communities preserves and enhances the environment and protects its wildlife, while providing a more authentic tourist experience and eliminating the negative social and environmental impacts of mass tourism on ecotourism site.

Swot Analysis of Network Rail

SWOT Analysis Strengths: Network Rail took over ownership by buying Railtrack plc, which was in railway administration, from the Railtrack Group plc for ? 500 million in 2002. Railtrack had become subject to broad-based and persistent criticism, notably over cost escalations and delays with the West Coast Main Line modernisation and the circumstances surrounding accidents at Southall (1997), Ladbroke Grove (1999) and Hatfield (2000). After these incidents Railtrack’s cost spiralled out of control, to remedy this situation which would ultimately lend to the company collapsing and being purchased by the government. By purchasing Railtrack when the company was being heavily criticised and by renaming it Network Rail it was seen as a favourable action because Railrack was in such a bad state it could only improve by being taken over. Network Rail are currently investing ? 800 million into the railway tracks every to improve and maintain the tracks, in 2006 alone the company spent ? billion on engineering projects improving stations, track and the efficiency of the railway industry. The company has also used this money to acquire state-of-the-art technology and invest large amounts of money in machinery such as ballast cleaners, the high-output train and track-relaying train. Spending this amount of money on the railway shows current and potential passengers that the company is very dedicated to maintaining and improving the railway and the services they provide. Weaknesses: During the Christmas period of 2007 Network Rail planned maintenance to take place whilst passenger levels would be low with the expectation of the work being complete by New Years Eve. However this maintenance work got delayed and passengers were advised to check travelling schedules before attempting the go to their destination. The delays lasted for a total of 3 days and the service resumed to normal on 2nd January 2008. These delays heavily affected passengers as well as operating companies such as Virgin trains as 50,000 people had booked tickets to travel on 31st January. By not informing the operating companies of the maintenance work they had planned for the holiday period they have damaged their relationship with the operating companies. They have also damaged their relationship with passengers as the delays hindered them from getting to spend the holiday period with their families. The derailments which occurred at Grayrigg, Potters Bar and Epsom have affected the reputation of Network Rail as they have accepted responsibility for the incidents. As a result of this the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) are currently conducting an investigation in to the incident and criminal charges may be brought. In the eyes of the public these incidents may bring back memories of the accidents at Southall, Ladbroke Grove and Hatfield and the public may begin to question the maintenance work which is being carried out on the railways. Network Rail announced at the beginning of 2008 that they would be raising train ticket fares. The regulated fares which included season tickets increased by an average of 4. % and many unregulated fares were set to rise by much more. The increase in ticket prices did not go down well with consumer groups who said the rises were unjustified, but train operators claimed the rises were needed to improve the railway and its services. Opportunities: Network Rail has the opportunity to transform Britain’s railway. They are trying to do this with their current projects such as: †¢Providing faste r journeys between London, Manchester and Glasgow – Investing into the UK’s busiest railway line, the West Coast. In the last two years the London-Manchester journey time has come down by over 30 minutes. Vital work continues in 2008 to reduce the bottleneck at Trent Valley and to improve capacity through Rugby and Nuneaton. †¢Improving communications between train drivers and signallers – Investing ? 1. 2 billion in building a nationwide system which enables train drivers and signallers to communicate securely at all times. This is an important safety improvement for the railway. Upgrading London’s transport network – Plans to upgrade the Thameslink route – A vital north-south artery through London – are progressing and the company plans to build world class stations in the UK’s capital. †¢Changing the face of Scotland's railway – Plans to re-introduce the railway line between Airdrie and Bathgate. This is in addition to the redevelopment of Edinburgh Waverley station which is already underway Network Rail is also planning to have a lar ge programme of investment for the London 2012 Olympic Games. By raising the fares on train tickets Network rail have the potential to have an increased net profit at the end of 2008. If the company figures show more profit than the previous this means the company has more money to invest into the railways. Threats: The threats that Network Rail face are fines from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the delays to train services over the Christmas period. Network Rail have already incurred 2 fines from the ORR ? 2. 4m during Christmas in 2006 following signalling problems at Portsmouth and a record ? 4m for engineering overrunning during the New Year of 2008. By not meeting the standards of the ORR Network Rail will continue to incur fines, by having to pay fines costing millions of pounds they are losing money which they could use to invest back into the railways. Another threat which Network Rail faces is the threat of passengers deciding to travel by car and also companies wanting to use Lorries to transport goods (road haulage). Road ha ulage is the use of heavy goods vehicle’s to transport products and materials from place to place. This could happen if railway lines get congested or routes are closed due to maintenance work or lack of use. PESTLE Analysis Political: Network Rail has to follow the rules of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). If they do not adhere to the rules and regulations of the ORR, they could face a fine which could result in the company paying millions of pounds. With England being part of the European Union (EU) Network Rail can buy and sell materials from any country in the EU because the has lowered the trade barriers. Economic The railways can be used to transport goods all over the country. Some of the benefits of using a train to transport goods are: †¢Faster than lorries/trucks †¢Trains have multiple carriages so a number of goods can be delivered at once †¢It’s cheaper than using lorries/trucks As well as being part of the EU, Britain can trade materials with countries outside of the EU. Being able trade goods with a number of countries allows Network Rail to negotiate better deals on goods. The inflated price of fuel and the introduction of the low emission zone may increase the demand for railway industry. As the inflation arise the costs of living increases therefore the price of using the railway must be at the price that the country can afford. Often delays to the passengers and delivering goods may costs the individuals and businesses, which may impact on the UK economy. Social With Network Rail increasing the prices of train tickets at the beginning of the year consumers were not happy with the unjustified price increase, however operators said that the price increase would mean that more money would be spent on the trains, railways and other services. The railway system is a system that will always be needed in England because the trains reduce journey times and some trains produce lower emission fumes than cars. Having fast trains means passengers can get from place to place within 3 hours. Since network Rail has been investing money over the last 2 year the journey time from London to Manchester as decreased by over 30 minutes Technological Network Rail have used large sums of money to purchase state of the art echnology to help improve the communication between train drivers and signallers to communicate securely at all times, which is very an important part of railway safety. They have also invested money in machinery such as ballast cleaner, the high-output train and track-relaying train. Spending large sums of money to improve communication and improve the railway shows that Network Rail are trying to the railways and other components up to date. Legal Network Rail need to follow the rules and regulations of transport or rai lway acts which have been set by the government. The modern railway statutes are: †¢Railways Act 1993 †¢Competition Act 1998 (insofar as it confers competition powers on the Office of Rail Regulation) †¢Transport Act 2000 †¢Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 †¢Railways Act 2005 The company is accountable to a body of Members through its corporate constitution, to its commercial train operator customers through its contracts with them (the contracts are subject to regulatory oversight), and to the public interest through the statutory powers of the Office of Rail Regulation. The Office of Rail Regulation in turn operates within the overall transport policy set by the UK Department for Transport Environmental Being a company which is governed Network Rail need to be seen as acting environmentally friendly. In an article written by The Times Newspaper (2007) the title for the article reads â€Å"Rail industry admits that it’s often greener for families to travel by car†. This statement means that travelling by car is less harm to the environment then travelling by train. Network Rail has a social responsibility to keep pollution emissions low as the government is currently working towards reducing the carbon emissions in the UK to slow down global warming. â€Å"Modern diesel-powered trains are so polluting that a family of three or more would be responsible for at least double the carbon dioxide emissions on many routes when travelling by rail compared with driving in a typical medium-sized car. † Source: http://travel. timesonline. co. uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/article2067255. ece

Hidden Answers to Ielts Essay Samples Band 6 Identified

Hidden Answers to Ielts Essay Samples Band 6 Identified Ielts Essay Samples Band 6 Secrets The Kilt Kit was made to be tossed around. My online IELTS Writing Practice Test will explain how to improve by a complete band score in only two days. You ought to understand the 4 marking criteria employed by the examiner to fulfil the needs of the score you desire. Well the exam was done. As a consequence, you usually won't need to be worried about attaining certain IELTS section scores just an entire score. Be aware that overall IELTS scores always round to the closest half-point. Actually, there are lots of important differences between the 2 exams! Your opinion isn't relevant in Task 1 and including it's going to decrease your score. If you would like to know specifically where you're going wrong, then you have to examine your work with a seasoned IELTS instructor. A couple of weeks of superior feedback can permit a candidate to accomplish what months of independent study may not. Getting the Best Ielts Essay Samples Band 6 Having access to previously completed work you could have confidence in will show you exactly what you're missing. To deal with all areas of the endeavor, you must respond to everything that's asked in the question. If you really need to get advanced, you may also try out making up your own questions dependent on the news of the day and after that provide these questions to a study partner. The majority of the questions are on current topics, therefore staying current with what's going on in the world is really going to help you t hink of ideas. There is a vast range of quite natural vocabulary necessary to spell out a graph and there aren't any spelling mistakes. In addition, you need elevated levels of accuracy so utilize mostly easy, clear sentences and vocabulary. Only use words you learn how to use properly. Some students think these sentences are excessively easy to count as complex but they're erroneous. You have to show you can use a wide selection of sentence structures and have a high amount of accuracy. You also have to have a very clear position throughout. Try to remember your sentences have to also be error free so only utilize structures you're confident using. Always comply with the structure. This task 2 marking criterion is all about your response to the IELTS essay question, your principal ideas and the way you develop them. So if your opinion isn't clear and you appear to change it during the essay, then this could be an issue for achieving an IELTS band 7 inside this criterion. This informative article can help you by providing you the absolute most frequent IELTS essay topics and showing you the way to use these to secure higher scores. You will obviously not have the ability to predict the specific topic that will come up. To take a very simple example, if you're writing about the pros and cons of something, you might wish to have one paragraph about each. It follows clearly from the last paragraph that has highlighted these 2 nations. Furthermore, the paragraph is coherent and there's a wide number of language. Again, examine some of the model essays to view how each body paragraph clearly has one central topic. After enough practice it will get a pure point to do and your writing is really going to improve. Actually, a seasoned writer can do the job much faster than any student as they've been writing academic assignments during their entire life. As our group of writers is pretty big, we always have free writers keen to bring a manageable and well-paid purchase. If you've got a writing teacher obviously this will help since they can examine your work.

Things Falll Apart by Chinua Achebe - 1082 Words

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a story that portrays the tensions between the white Colonial Government and native-born people of Umuofia. Okonkwo, the main character, and a great village man is highly respected in the Igbo tribe of Umuofia. Although, Okonkwo is highly respected by the Igbo people, they are fearful of him because of his violent anger. When the Europeans arrived in Umuofia, they brought with them a new religion: Christianity. The Westerners changed Umuofia, destroyed tradition and destroyed Okonkwo. Things Fall Apart is a great novel recognised for its impact on the world’s understanding of Africa and African people. The novel’s English translation enabled Achebe to reveal the deep response of the Igbo people to colonisation. Through choosing to write in English, the novel acts as a bridge to reach out to people all across the world. English acts as a new voice and enables a connection between others in the world, which allows for the building and creation of awareness through educating and informing; through the English language, readers from across the globe are introduced to a new culture. This essay will discuss what the novel’s English translation made possible for the African writer, Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart is a novel about Igbo people and their unique culture. Through the novel, Achebe shows that Africa had a rich history and culture before the arrival of the white man. Achebe rejects the assumptions of imperialist critics and