Positive and Negative Effects of Tourism in Africa
The effects of tourism in Africa
Ever since the ability to travel over vast amounts of distances around the world became easier with the use of innovative marvels such as the aeroplane, tourism started to grow in certain countries that had enough places of interest. Africa offered much that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world; from the ancient pyramids of Giza to the spectacular wildlife migration in the Serengeti. Tourist from around the world would pay a lot of money to see and be a part of this almost untouched beauty. Thus tourism in Africa started to grow and became one of the most important sources of income for many countries. But the dilemma that we know face is whether tourism offers more benefits to the society to overcome the entire negative impacts it brings with it. For tourism to deliver a maximum beneficial outcome it must be sustainable to the environment. It must also gather enough income in order to enable the economy to grow. Therefor the effects of tourism can be categorise in three bodies namely; economic, social and environmental. Each body holds their own positive and negative effects and must be looked at individually.
The most distinctive positive effect of tourism is that it creates jobs. This enables the economy in that certain area to grow leading to a “multiplier effect”, which happens when people spend their income on services and products that are made available by the tourism industry. It also improves certain indirect sectors such as transportation services. Some small scale businesses that rely on tourists are easy to implement and doesn’t require a proper education. This is greatly beneficial in Africa because there is a lack of proper education in most countries, especially in rural areas. Tourism also generates extra tax revenues that can benefit the economy by using those taxes to improve infrastructure and other important areas that need improvement. The upside of tourism is that it is mainly seasonal, for instance
Ever since the ability to travel over vast amounts of distances around the world became easier with the use of innovative marvels such as the aeroplane, tourism started to grow in certain countries that had enough places of interest. Africa offered much that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world; from the ancient pyramids of Giza to the spectacular wildlife migration in the Serengeti. Tourist from around the world would pay a lot of money to see and be a part of this almost untouched beauty. Thus tourism in Africa started to grow and became one of the most important sources of income for many countries. But the dilemma that we know face is whether tourism offers more benefits to the society to overcome the entire negative impacts it brings with it. For tourism to deliver a maximum beneficial outcome it must be sustainable to the environment. It must also gather enough income in order to enable the economy to grow. Therefor the effects of tourism can be categorise in three bodies namely; economic, social and environmental. Each body holds their own positive and negative effects and must be looked at individually.
The most distinctive positive effect of tourism is that it creates jobs. This enables the economy in that certain area to grow leading to a “multiplier effect”, which happens when people spend their income on services and products that are made available by the tourism industry. It also improves certain indirect sectors such as transportation services. Some small scale businesses that rely on tourists are easy to implement and doesn’t require a proper education. This is greatly beneficial in Africa because there is a lack of proper education in most countries, especially in rural areas. Tourism also generates extra tax revenues that can benefit the economy by using those taxes to improve infrastructure and other important areas that need improvement. The upside of tourism is that it is mainly seasonal, for instance