Human–environmental relations with tourism

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Abstract

While the social impacts of tourism in developing countries have been extensively researched, virtually nothing is known about the changes it initiates in human–environmental relations. In order to investigate this interaction, a survey was conducted in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Evidence suggests that tourism is fundamentally changing the relationships individuals have with society and nature in a way detrimental to the goals of sustainable development. Ultimately, the findings might explain the rapid growth in this industry as a self-reinforcing process. Sustainable tourism—or the notion that development can be managed in an environmentally neutral way—might thus be a contradiction in terms.

Résumé

Relations humaines et environnementales avec le tourisme. Bien que les impacts sociaux du tourisme aux pays en voie de développement aient été beaucoup étudiés, on ne sait pratiquement rien au sujet des changements lancés par le tourisme dans les relations entre les humains et l'environnement. Afin d'examiner cette interaction, on a mené une enquête au Zanzibar (Tanzanie). Il y a des signes que le tourisme est en train de changer radicalement les liens entre les gens et la société et la nature, au détriment des objectifs du développement durable. En fin de compte, les conclusions pourraient expliquer la croissance rapide de cette industrie comme un processus d'auto-renforcement. Le tourisme durable, ou l'idée qu'il est possible de gérer le développement du tourisme d'une manière environnementalement neutre, est peut-être une contradiction dans les termes.

Introduction

Researchers from a number of disciplines have conducted work on the social impacts of tourism in developing countries. Problems of cultural change, social stress in host communities, and social dislocation have been described in surveys undertaken in a variety of cultures and social settings (Farrell 1978; Hall and Page 1996; Lea 1988; Mathieson and Wall 1982; Meleghy, Preglau and Tafertsofer 1985; Shaw and Williams 1994; UNESCO 1976; Weaver 1998). However, little is known on how tourism changes one's understanding of the environment and which consequences it has for the growth of the industry and sustainable development in general. In order to advance the subject in this area, a survey was conducted in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The aim was to characterize the social, ecological, and economic changes initiated by tourism, to analyze how these are perceived by hosts and guests, and to evaluate the resulting changes in the human–environmental relations of the actors involved. The findings are incorporated into a global context and conclusions are drawn in order to understand the importance of tourism-related changes of human–environmental relations for sustainable development.

Section snippets

Human–environmental relations

Tourism is increasingly built on the marketing of nature and natural resources, which have become its central elements (Urry 1995). It has been argued that the marketing of immobile resources such as landscapes, sights, and cultures represents a substantial economic advantage for tropical developing countries, because their immobility makes it necessary for tourists to travel in order to consume them (Urry 1990). Moreover, tourism allows the use of natural areas which are otherwise of less

Conclusion

Little is known about the consequences of tourism and cultural exchange for human–environmental relations, and the aim of the survey presented in this paper was to gain insights into how tourism changes the understanding of the environment of both hosts and guests. The spatial globalization of the industry may be approaching its climax. But what could be called the societal internationalization of tourism—in which people from all countries participate on an equal footing—seems very far off

Stefan Gössling is with the Institute of Service Management (Box 882, 251 08 Helsingborg, Sweden. Email <[email protected]>). His research interests include development processes in developing countries as well as socioeconomic and ecological changes initiated by tourism. Much of his fieldwork has focused on islands and island states in the Indian Ocean region, namely Madagascar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.

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    Stefan Gössling is with the Institute of Service Management (Box 882, 251 08 Helsingborg, Sweden. Email <[email protected]>). His research interests include development processes in developing countries as well as socioeconomic and ecological changes initiated by tourism. Much of his fieldwork has focused on islands and island states in the Indian Ocean region, namely Madagascar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.

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