The impact of tourism

IMPACT OF TOURISM

•The study of the effect that tourism has on environment and communities involved 
is relatively new.
• Impacts are not easily categorized, having. direct and indirect components and 
the impact could be either positive or negative.
•Also tourism is often seasonal, and impacts only become apparent after time, with 
varying effects, and at different stages of development.
•There are three main categories.

Environmental  Socio-cultural Economic

Impacts Impacts Impacts

Impacts that affect the  Associated with  Contributing to 

carrying capacity of the  interactions between  employment 
area, vegetation, air  peoples and culture , services, stability, can 
quality, bodies of water,  background, attitudes  also contribute to high
the water table, wildlife,  and behaviors, and their  living costs within the 
and natural phenomena. relationships to material  community, pushing local 
goods. business out of the 
areas, and raising costs 
for locals.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM
Depletion of  Water resources Overuse of Water  - hotels, swimming pools, golf courses 
and personal use of water by tourists
Natural 
Resources Land Resources Greater extraction and transport of resources like energy, 
food, and other raw materials
Land degradation Increased construction of tourism and recreational 
facilities has increased the pressure on Land

Pollution Air pollution  & Noise Transport by air, road & rail. Transport emissions and 

emissions from energy production
Solid waste and Littering Improper disposal of waste.

Sewage Improper sewage management.

Aesthetic pollution Failing to integrate its structures with the natural 
features and indigenous architectural of the destination. 
Lack of land-use planning and building regulations.

Physical  Construction activities  Development of tourist facilities

Impacts and infrastructure 
development
Deforestation and  Construction of new accommodation along attractive
intensified use of land destinations such as mountains, coastal resorts, etc

Trampling Tourists using the same trail over and over again trample 
the vegetation and soil, eventually causing damage that 
can lead to loss of biodiversity and other impacts.
Alteration of ecosystems  Habitat can be degraded by tourism leisure activities. For 
by tourist activities example, wildlife viewing can bring about stress for the 
animals and alter their natural behaviour .
SOCIOCULTURAL IMPACT OF TOURISM
Commodification of Culture Use of a cultural traditions and artifacts in order to sell and profit for the 
local economy.
Demonstration  effect The demonstration effect argues that local inhabitants copy the 
behavioral patterns of tourists
Community participation Collaboration between community members for the purposes of 
achieving common goals,
improving their local community and pursuing individual benefits
Acculturation Acculturation is the process of modifying an existing culture through 
borrowing from the more dominant of cultures.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM

Positive Impact •Increase in jobs, a higher quality of life for locals, and an increase in 
wealth of an area
•rebuilding and restoring historic sites and encouraging the 
revitalization of cultures
•Positive impacts happens, if there have been improvements to the 
natural environment such as protection,
•national parks, or man-made infrastructure, waste-treatment plants
Negative Impact •Detrimental impacts to thes ocial and cultural area, as well as the 
natural environment.
•Resources become unsustainable and exhausted.
•Carrying capacity is depleted.
•Negative impacts are found in the development stage of the tourism 
area life cycle.
•Strips away the opportunity for locals to make meaningful profits.
•Increase in land value pushing the locals away.

Referenece: Mason, Peter (2003). Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management . Burlington MA: Butterworth-Heinemann
CARRYING CAPACITY

"Tourism Carrying Capacity" is defined by the World Tourism Organisation as

“The maximum number of people that may visit a tourist destination at the
same time, without causing destruction of the physical, economic, socio-cultural
environment and an unacceptable decrease in the quality of visitors'
satisfaction”.

Characteristics :
•Carrying capacity for any given area is not fixed.
•As the environment is degraded, carrying capacity actually shrinks, leaving 
the environment no longer able to support even the number of people who 
could formerly have lived in the area on a sustainable basis.  

Types of Carrying Capacity

Physical  Economical Social Bio-physical

•The max no. Of  •Relates to local  •Reduced visitor  •The extent to which 
tourists the area can  economy, extent to  engagement and  the natural
actually support which the tourist  increased crime are  environment is able to 
•PCC /day= area(sq.m) destination is able to  the indicators for  tolerate interference 
x visitors per metre x  accommodate tourist  social carrying  from tourists. 
daily duration functions without the  capacity.
loss of local activities.
Reference : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_carrying_capacity#Weaknesses_of_carrying_capacity
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Tourism-carrying-capacity-dimensions-Source-By-
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ASSESSING CARRYING CAPACITY

The process of estimating Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) has been described as 
having a descriptive and evaluative part. It follows (in principle) the conceptual 
framework for TCC as described by Shelby and Heberlein (1986), and these parts are 
described as follows:
Describes how the system (tourist destination) under study works,
including physical, ecological, social, political and economic aspects of
tourist development. Within this context of particular importance is the
identification of:
•Constraints: limiting factors that cannot be easily managed.
Descriptive part (A) •Bottlenecks: limiting factors of the system which managers can
manipulate
•Impacts: elements of the system affected by the intensity and type of
use.
Describes how an area should be managed and the level of acceptable 
environmental impacts. This part of the process starts with the 
identification (if it does not already exist) of the desirable condition or 
preferable type of development. 
Within this context, goals and management objectives need to be 
Evaluative part (B) defined, alternative fields of actions evaluated and a strategy for tourist 
development formulated. On the basis of this, Tourism Carrying Capacity 
can be defined. Within this context, of particular importance is the 
identification of:
•Goals and/or objectives: (i.e. to define the type of experience or other 
outcomes which a recreational setting should provide).
 STEPS IN ASSESSING CARRYING CAPACITY

Define the carrying capacity that needs to be established for the 
study area.

Understand the type of tourism existing or being planned

List the objectives of the area.

Establish the criteria that affect capacity

Establish threshold or tolerable levels of use that can act as 
management guidelines.

Assess the carrying capacity of the area.

Common approaches:   *Survey  (i) Questionnaires (ii)Visual surveys
*Based on History
*Demand
*Estimate (annual, monthly, daily, seasonal)   
Reference : Tito Antonio Ofilada, Jr., Senior Lecturer at University of the Philippines
TOURISM AREA LIFE CYCLE

•The concept of a tourist area life cycle (TALC) was introduced by Butler (1980) to 
explain the evolution of a tourist area over time. 
•According to the tourist area life cycle concept, a tourist destination progresses 
through five stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, 
stagnation, and post-stagnation.

Source : http://amble.com/ambler/2009/09/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-destination/
 There are a few adventurous tourists visiting sites with few 
Exploration stage
public facilities. 
The visitors are initially attracted to the destination because of 
some natural physical feature. At this point, the destination only 
attracts a very specific type of visitor.

Involvement stage There is limited interaction between tourists and local 
community, resulting in only basic services. Increased advertising 
induces a pattern of seasonal variation and a definite market area 
begins to emerge.

There is continued growth in the number of visitor arrivals. There 
Development stage is a noticeable development of additional tourist facilities and 
increased promotional efforts. The destination experiences a shift 
in control of the tourist trade to outsiders, and the number of 
tourists at peak periods outnumbers the local residents. 

Tourism has become a major component of the local economy, 
Consolidation stage
and a well-delineated business district has begun to take shape.

Peak numbers of tourists and capacity levels are reached. The 
Stagnation stage destination has a well-established image, but it is no longer 
popular and the lodging facilities begin to erode and turnover. 

Options ranging from rejuvenation to decline, represented by 
Post- Stagnation  various levels of change (both positive and negative) in the 
stage number of tourist arrivals. The result depends on the 
destination’s ability to position itself and find a viable market. 
Case Study - 1
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM – Case of Mussoorie

“Queen of the Mountains”
“Queen of the Hills”

Location      : Hill station in Uttarakhand
Elevation     : 2,005.5 m (6,579.7 ft)
Population :  30118 ( as of 2011)
Climate        : Typical subtropical highland 
climate (Köppen Cwb) for the mid-altitude 
Himalaya.
History         :  Before the British came, there were only 
shepherds whose animals grazed on the Mansur’ shrub 
which gives the town its name. 
•1827-Established as a hunting lodge in by  
East India Company
•1850 - Beer brewery was setup.
Mussoorie
•1900 - Rail was introduced. Population grew to 
5000.
•1959 - During the Tibetan Rebellion, 
the Central Tibetan Administration of 
the 14th Dalai Lama was at first established in 
Mussoorie.
•1947 - Tourism started growing
Summer Temperature : Minimum - 10C, Maximum - 30oC

Winter Temperature : Minimum - 1oC, Maximum - 10oC

Annual Rainfall : 180 cm

Snowfall in Mussoorie : End of December to Mid February.

Summers (April to June) in Mussoorie : remain very favorable. Because of its high 
altitude, the hill resort escapes the extreme heat of summer season. The temperature 
rises to a maximum of 30oC and the minimum temperature is recorded at 10oC during 
this season. Light woolens are advisable during this season.

Generally winters (late October to mid- February) in Mussoorie : are very cold and 

spine-chilling. The mercury level may drop down to a minimum of 1oC during the nights. 
Days remain slightly foggy, with the sun being mild and placid. The temperature reaches 
to a maximum of 10oC during the daytime. Sometimes, occasional snowfall might lead 
to road-blocks in winters.

Monsoons in Mussoorie : The place experiences heavy downpour during the monsoon 
season (July to September). It makes the roads unsuitable for trekking and driving. The 
sky attains a mauvish tinge and mountains remain covered with sheets of mist. With the 
onset of the spring season in end-September, the place reaches its apogee of beauty.

Best Time to Visit : Best season to go Mussoorie is March to June and September to 

November. Summers are the best times to have trekking, rock climbing and camping.
TOURISM IN MUSSOORIE
The climate is cool and pleasant all through the year but the best time to visit is from 
March to June, Sept to Nov & Dec to Jan.

Type of Tourism             - Nature Tourism and Adventure Tourism
Time spent by tourists - Average 2 days

Tourist attractions :
Kempty falls                – water activity(bathing)
Gun hill                          -- Sight seeing(rope car)
Camel’s back road – Horse riding and nature walk
Company garden      -- Botanical garden, picnic spot
Lakes and falls of Mussoorie – sightseeing and nature walk
Mall Road                      -- Shopping
Temples                         -- Nag Devta Temple,Jawalji Temple, VanChetna Kendra

Trekking and Adventure Tourism:
There are plenty of Trekking Spots from Mussoorie to places such as Nagtibba, 
Bhadraj, Dhanolti. Various adventure tourism activities such River Rafting, Rock Climbing 
and Para-gliding can also be enjoyed in Mussoorie.

Suburban Excursion Spots :
Yamuna Bridge, Dhanolti, Lakha Mahal, Chamba (Tehri)

Reference : http://www.ecoindia.com/places/mussoorie.html
TOURISM MAP OF MUSSOORIE

https://www.hotelsilverrock.com/tourist_map_new.jpg
Study on ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM – Case of Mussoorie
by DR.RENU MALRA, 2015 , University college, Kurukshetra university 

Objectives of the studies:

• To make a survey of tourist trends and patterns at Mussoorie.
• To assess the impacts of tourism on the environment at Mussoorie.

Method of the study:

• Take photographs and analyse the changes in the built-up area.
•The questionnaire of residents consisted of 36 questions related to different variables to
assess different impacts. Ranking was on five point Likert Scale.
•Questionnaire for tourists regarding their experience in Mussoorie.

METHOD OF ANALYSIS:
Since the purpose of questionnaire was to know the responses of major stake holders i.e.
the tourist and the local residents, the percentage method was used to derive
information on the attitude of the above mentioned stake holders.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS:

Based on the information provided by questionnaire, conclusion were drawn , compared
with that of Nainital and suggestions for various aspects are provided.
 Conclusions Suggestions
• Residents in Mussoorie agreed tourism • The residents of the area should be
results in more litter. Residents are aware involved in decision-making process as
of the degradation of their environment well as in implementation of tourism plans.
due to tourism.
• With respect to pollution, fine must be
• Tourism provides more job opportunities.
Agreed for the introduction of new tourist enforced.
facilities. • The reforestation process should be taken
• Socio-cultural impacts: exploitation, crime up aggressively. Trees should be planted in
rates, change in local values, liquor rotation and state government agency
consumption. should be entrusted to supervise the
• Increase income and living standards, cutting of trees strictly in accordance with
transport facilities, improved shopping the ordinance given.
facilities. Exchange of cultural values. • There should be proper disposal system
• Environmental impact : Increase in the of garbage. Modernisation of drainage
pollution and the noise. system is required.
• Tourism development contributes to the • Tourist must be given instructions to
beautifying of the exterior.
avoid loud music and noise and not to
• No adequate parking for the visitors. leave behind any garbage in the form of
• Over crowding at a destination was not polythenes.
liked by the tourists.
• New infrastructures and destinations
• The need of time is to protect and
strengthen the tourism industry while should be created around with minimal
minimising negative impacts of such impact on the environment.
growth manifested in pressure on service
and city infrastructure.
PROPOSALS FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MUSSOORIE

The tourism of Uttarakhand has plans for the development of Mussoorie-

Dhanaulti-Chamba-New Tehri tourism circuit scheme, which covers a distance
of 72.4 Kms by road.
Additionally special focus to be given for the facilitation of home-stay facility
under the village tourism scheme in the villages situated along the route from
Mussoorie to Dhanaulti.

Mussorie to New Tehri – 72.4Kms

Reference : https://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/cm-link-tourist-spots-to-form-tourism-circuits.html
PROPOSALS FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MUSSOORIE

•The state tourism board is also working on the

ambitious project of Dehradun-Mussoorie Mussorie to 
ropeway which requires INR 190 cr of Dehradun– 34.6Kms
investment. When launched, this will be the
longest aerial passenger ropeway.

•UTDB is also analysing on the opportunity to

develop Hathipaon in Mussoorie as another hill
station.

•Huge land parcels around Mussoorie – 172 
acres in Hathipaon, 54 acres in Khanij Nagar 
and near Jharipani Falls, are available to be 
developed on the Public Private Partnership 
(PPP) model.

Source : http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews