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What's the problem with overtourism?

With visitor numbers around the world increasing towards pre-pandemic levels, the issue of overtourism is once again rearing its head.

When locals in the charming Austrian lakeside village of Hallstatt staged a blockade of the main access tunnel, brandishing placards asking visitors to ‘think of the children’, it highlighted what can happen when places start to feel overrun by tourists. Hallstatt has just 800 residents but has opened its doors to around 10,000 visitors a day — a population increase of over 1,000%. And it’s just one of a growing number of places where residents are up in arms at the influx of travellers.

The term ‘overtourism’ is relatively new, having been coined over a decade ago to highlight the spiralling numbers of visitors taking a toll on cities, landmarks and landscapes. As tourist numbers worldwide return towards pre-pandemic levels, the debate around what constitutes ‘too many’ visitors continues. While many destinations, reliant on the income that tourism brings, are still keen for arrivals, a handful of major cities and sites are now imposing bans, fines, taxes and time-slot systems, and, in some cases, even launching campaigns of discouragement in a bid to curb tourist numbers.

What is overtourism?

In essence, overtourism is too many people in one place at any given time. While there isn’t a definitive figure stipulating the number of visitors allowed, an accumulation of economic, social and environmental factors determine if and how numbers are creeping up.

There are the wide-reaching effects, such as climate change. Coral reefs, like the Great Barrier Reef and Maya Bay, Thailand, made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Beach , are being degraded from visitors snorkelling, diving and touching the corals, as well as tour boats anchoring in the waters. And 2030 transport-related carbon emissions from tourism are expected to grow 25% from 2016 levels, representing an increase from 5% to 5.3% of all man-made emissions, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). More localised issues are affecting locals, too. Renters are being evicted by landlords in favour of turning properties into holiday lets, and house prices are escalating as a result. As visitors and rental properties outnumber local residents, communities are being lost. And, skyrocketing prices, excessive queues, crowded beaches, exorbitant noise levels, damage at historical sites and the ramifications to nature as people overwhelm or stray from official paths are also reasons the positives of tourism can have a negative impact.

Conversely, ‘undertourism’ is a term applied to less-frequented destinations, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. The economic, social and environmental benefits of tourism aren't always passed on to those with plenty of capacity and, while tourist boards are always keen for visitors to visit their lesser-known attractions, it’s a more sustainable and rewarding experience for both residents and visitors.

What’s the main problem with it?

Overcrowding is an issue for both locals and tourists. It can ruin the experience of sightseeing for those trapped in long queues, unable to visit museums, galleries and sites without advance booking, incurring escalating costs for basics like food, drink and hotels, and faced with the inability to experience the wonder of a place in relative solitude. The absence of any real regulations has seen places take it upon themselves to try and establish some form of crowd control, meaning no cohesion and no real solution.

Justin Francis, co-founder and CEO of Responsible Travel, a tour operator that focuses on more sustainable travel, says “Social media has concentrated tourism in hotspots and exacerbated the problem, and tourist numbers globally are increasing while destinations have a finite capacity. Until local people are properly consulted about what they want and don’t want from tourism, we’ll see more protests.”

A French start up, Murmuration, which monitors the environmental impact of tourism by using satellite data, states that 80% of travellers visit just 10% of the world's tourism destinations, meaning bigger crowds in fewer spots. And, the UNWTO predicts that by 2030, the number of worldwide tourists, which peaked at 1.5 billion in 2019, will reach 1.8 billion,   likely leading to greater pressure on already popular spots and more objection from locals.

Who has been protesting?

Of the 800 residents in the UNESCO-listed village of Hallstatt, around 100 turned out in August to show their displeasure and to push for a cap on daily visitors and a curfew on tour coach arrivals.

Elsewhere, residents in Venice fought long and hard for a ban on cruise ships, with protest flags often draped from windows. In 2021, large cruise ships over 25,000 tonnes were banned from using the main Giudecca Canal, leaving only smaller passenger ferries and freight vessels able to dock.

In France, the Marseille Provence Cruise Club introduced a flow management system for cruise line passengers in 2020, easing congestion around the popular Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica. A Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) spokesperson said, “Coaches are limited to four per ship during the morning or afternoon at the Basilica to ensure a good visitor experience and safety for residents and local businesses. This is a voluntary arrangement respected by cruise lines.”

While in Orkney, Scotland, residents have been up in arms at the number of cruise ships docking on its shores. At the beginning of 2023, the local council confirmed that 214 cruise ship calls were scheduled for the year, bringing around £15 million in revenue to the islands. Following backlash from locals, the council has since proposed a plan to restrict the number of ships on any day.

What steps are being taken?  

City taxes have become increasingly popular, with Barcelona increasing its nightly levy in April 2023 — which was originally introduced in 2012 and varies depending on the type of accommodation — and Venice expects to charge day-trippers a €5 fee from 2024.

In Amsterdam this summer, the city council voted to ban cruise ships, while the mayor, Femke Halsema, commissioned a campaign of discouragement, asking young British men who planned to have a 'vacation from morals’ to stay away. In Rome, sitting at popular sites, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, has been restricted by the authorities.

And in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, meanwhile, the Narok County governor has introduced on-the-spot fines for off-roading. He also plans to double nightly park fees in peak season.

What are the forecasts for global tourism?  

During the Covid pandemic, tourism was one of the hardest-hit industries — according to UNWTO, international tourist arrivals dropped 72% in 2020. However, traveller numbers have since been rapidly increasing, with double the number of people venturing abroad in the first three months of 2023 than in the same period in 2022. And, according to the World Travel Tourism Council, the tourism sector is expected to reach £7.5 trillion this year, 95% of its pre-pandemic levels.

While the tourism industry is forecast to represent 11.6% of the global economy by 2033, it’s also predicted that an increasing number of people will show more interest in travelling more sustainably. In a 2022 survey by Booking.com, 64% of the people asked said they would be prepared to stay away from busy tourist sites to avoid adding to congestion.

Are there any solutions?  

There are ways to better manage tourism by promoting more off-season travel, limiting numbers where possible and having greater regulation within the industry. Encouraging more sustainable travel and finding solutions to reduce friction between residents and tourists could also have positive impacts. Promoting alternative, less-visited spots to redirect travellers may also offer some benefits.

Harold Goodwin, emeritus professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, says, “Overtourism is a function of visitor volumes, but also of conflicting behaviours, crowding in inappropriate places and privacy. Social anthropologists talk about frontstage and backstage spaces. Tourists are rarely welcome in backstage spaces. To manage crowds, it’s first necessary to analyse and determine the causes of them.

Francis adds: “However, we must be careful not to just recreate the same problems elsewhere. The most important thing is to form a clear strategy, in consultation with local people about what a place wants or needs from tourism.”

As it stands, overtourism is a seasonal issue for a small number of destinations. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, a range of measures are clearly an option depending on the scale of the problem. For the majority of the world, tourism remains a force for good with many benefits beyond simple economic growth.

Related Topics

• OVERTOURISM
• SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

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Overtourism: Causes, Consequences and Solutions

Overtourism : one of the words that people use most in recent years. In effect, more and more often, tourist destinations suffer from overtourism, tourism overcrowding . Places that everyone wants to see because they are “famous”. Movie scenes shot in locations (such as Lake Braies ) that now attract hordes of tourists looking for a short trip. Simply, they stop the time for a selfie and then leave for the next famous stage. This type of mass tourism causes pollution, the devastation of nature and distress of local populations. Let’s see in detail what is overtourism, what are its causes , what are the consequences , and what can be done to avoid it.

What is overtourism?

Overtourism is a neologism that indicates the overcrowding of tourists on a holiday destination. The term was first inserted in the Oxford dictionary in 2018 and nominated as the year’s word. Overtourism, literally “too much tourism” , is a complex phenomenon that we should analyze from various points of view. In essence, we could sum up the concept in one question. Is this place affected by the presence of more tourists than the place and the inhabitants can support?

When it comes to natural tourist destinations , tourism must respect flora, fauna, and microclimate. When the destination is a city , tourism must primarily r espect residents , as well as local culture and archaeological sites . The latter in particular are small microcosms blocked in time that tourism should protect. If this doesn’t happen, we talk about overtourism, or unsustainable tourism for the place, for nature, for the people who live there.

The Causes of overtourism

More than 1.4 billion people are moving around the world every year, and they are growing at an exponential rate. The World Tourism Organisation predicts that by 2030 the international flow of tourists will exceed 2 billion . This very high number of people focus on a few tourist destinations in the world, which suffer from the excessive presence of tourists . The causes of too much tourism are many. From the famous films that make tourist destinations famous to the ease with which you can reach any corner of the world. Also, we can name the cruises that bring large quantities around the seas. We talked about cruises and their environmental impact in this article .

Cultural tourism, a new trend

A trend of the moment is tourism i nfluenced by mass culture . According to this kind of tourism, people chose the destination based on social media , influencers, television programs and films. Tourism influenced by film and TV series products, also known as film tourism , has in some cases led to real disasters. An example is what is happening in the Pacific Islands : in Thailand at Maya Bay , where the film “The Beach” was shot with Leonardo Di Caprio. Over the years, tourists who wanted to see the film set invaded the small beach. This forced the Thai government to prohibit the entry of tourists to restore the delicate balance of the beautiful bay.

The increase in low-cost air flights and cruises is certainly one of the causes of Overtourism.

The numbers published by the World Tourism Organisation (Unwto) speak for themselves. Even in Italy , we have examples of how mass tourism damages the nature and residents of cities invaded by travelers. Venice , for example, is visited by about 20 million people a year. A number a little too high for such a delicate city, devastated also by cruise ships causing pollution .

Even Florence , Capri and the Cinque Terre National Park in Liguria suffer from the excessive number of tourists arriving every year. This influx is leading the administrations of the various Italian municipalities to take steps to limit the number of revenues.

Consequences of overtourism

1 destruction of natural ecosystems.

The flora and fauna are usually the first to suffer overtourism in the most popular natural tourist destinations. In some natural destinations, environmental issues led to the destruction of entire ecosystems. Among these problems, we can mention deforestation, exploitation of the soil and pollution . But also, no policy of raising awareness and protecting natural environments. In some cases, this situation has no possibility of redemption, such as, for example, what happens to coral reefs around the world. As global warming and tourists irreparably ruined them, corals are part of a natural system that is becoming extinct.

2. Increase in the amount of waste

Another consequence of mass tourism is the large accumulation of waste that people don’t differentiate. Inevitably, it creates a major environmental problem of disposal and pollution.  Boracay Island , in the Philippines, has been closed to restore the ecosystem after years of uncontrolled tourism. The waste problem is also very important on the island of Bali , which is trying to combat it thanks to the thought of Zero waste Bali.

3. Escape and malaise of residents

Too much tourism affects mainly the locals. Across Europe, in cities like Barcelona or Venice, the phenomenon of overtourism has unleashed strong tensions from the inhabitants.  Residents complain about the rising of housing prices and rentals. In effect, they inflated them due to the spread of online platforms such as Airbnb. But also, they talked about the disappearance of small shops, replaced by tourist shops, and the inviolability of their cities. The last consequence is the escape of residents from their cities, which have become tourist theatres, thus losing their authenticity.

Solutions to overtourism for destinations

As tourist flows around the world increased, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has dedicated an entire Report to overtourism. Certainly, there is not one single solution, but many small things that we can do during our holidays . The Report thus proposes 11 strategies and 68 measures to combat excessive tourism.

Here are the 11 suggestions that tourist destinations can follow to counter the phenomenon of overtourism.

• Encourage the dispersion of tourists within the city, and even beyond the territory, suggesting the visit of lesser-known destinations and less touristic areas.
• Promote tourism in different periods (for example out of season) and at different times from the most popular.
• Create new and different itineraries and tourist attractions.
• Review and improve regulations , such as closing some overcrowded areas to traffic.
• Attract more responsible types of travelers.
• ensure the benefits of tourism to local communities, for example by increasing the number of inhabitants employed in tourism, and by involving residents in the creation of tourism experiences.
• Develop and promote experiences in the city or territory that benefit both tourists and residents.
• Increase the infrastructure and services of the resort.
• Involve the local community in tourist decisions and choices.
• Educate travelers and tell them how to be more responsible and respectful of the place.
• Monitor and measure changes.

And what can we do?

With Ecobnb we promote responsible tourism , avoiding overcrowded famous destinations and promoting the close destinations. Often we don’t know what surrounds us and which beauties we can find without necessarily taking planes that emit huge amounts of CO2. Slow and sustainable tourism offers authentic locations. These places enrich local communities and those who invest in eco-sustainable activities. The real holiday could also be for you the relaxing and unplugging holiday. You could simply recharge the energies in contact with nature. Nonetheless, remember to try and lessen as much as possible for your environmental impact.

The good news is that each of us can do our part to counteract overtourism and promote sustainable tourism.

Here’s your vademecum

Here are 5 simple ideas , a vademecum, to promote quality tourism, instead of quantity, every time we travel.

• Avoid air flights and cruises, move by train and public transport whenever you can.
• Don’t take your decisions following the mass. If everyone goes to the mountains on August 15, why don’t you choose a different date?
• Organize your holidays in an alternative way, choose authentic and less touristy destinations .
• Travel out of season : spring and autumn are beautiful and less expensive seasons.
• Respect the places you visit (here you find 40 tips to travel green ), try to live like a local”, immerse yourself in the culture of the place and make friends with the inhabitants.

Cover image: photo by Elizeu Dias via Unsplash

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5 Mega Challenges Facing the Global Travel and Tourism Industry

The global travel and tourism industry sits smack in the eye of a perfect storm. On the one hand, demand is up. Planes are packed. Our wanderlust is lustier than ever. On the other hand, rising inflation, lagging infrastructure, geopolitical uncertainty, staffing shortages, and COVID’s lingering impact have all converged into the stuff of nightmares — for travelers and the travel industry alike.

As researchers and advisors to global tourism boards and brands across the travel and tourism ecosystem, we are seeing some of these challenges hit certain players harder than others. On the bright side, recovery is on the horizon. But some geographies and industry sectors will face steeper challenges as five major headwinds converge upon them. We’re seeing opportunities for brands to get ahead of the storm and put the wind at their back.

These are the top five challenges facing the travel and tourism industry today, along with our perspective on navigating the way forward.

Travel Insight #1: Inflation means trade-offs and discretionary travel may lose out

Just when tourism was on the rebound, rising inflation came nipping at the heels of a travel boom. Escalent’s forthcoming 2022 Holiday Shopping & Travel Study revealed only 42% of consumers feel confident they’ll achieve their 2022 holiday travel plans (down 24 percentage points from 2021), and 49% of consumers are uncertain their holiday plans will be achieved (up 23 percentage points from 2021).

For the travel and tourism industry, inflation is a huge concern since it drives up product prices and affects consumers’ willingness to spend on discretionary travel. According to Euromonitor, 63% of travel executives said inflation was having a moderate to extensive impact on their businesses. Subsequently, over half of global travel companies acted in kind, by raising all or some of their prices. This was even higher in the Americas, where 59% of the companies raised all or some of their prices. Meanwhile, 44% of businesses accepted that they would suffer from having a lower profit margin by absorbing the inflationary costs rather than passing them on to their consumers to limit impact on their travel plans.

During inflationary times, it is common to see brands cut back on their marketing and advertising spend. While this reduces costs short term, it can be a setback to building long-term brand trust. In times of uncertainty, consumers tend to gravitate towards certainty, something a trusted brand can confer. And a destination is a brand. The more trust you can build amid uncertainty, the better.

Travel Insight #2: The ripple effects of geopolitical disruption

Geopolitical instability is also a key concern for the travel and tourism industry. The outlook for global travel and tourism for inbound spending is expected to be at 45% of 2019 levels, according to Euromonitor’s travel forecast model. The war in Ukraine is estimated to have caused a $7 billion decline in global inbound tourism, while Russian outbound tourism has all but collapsed under economic sanctions, airspace closures and flight bans. The loss of big-spending Russian visitors will impact travel destinations globally, but especially in Europe, the Caribbean and Turkey.

What happens when your high-value source market can’t travel? The ripple effects of geopolitical disruption are felt across regional clusters, forcing travel and tourism entities to rethink their source markets and reset their tourism marketing and targeting strategy.

Travel Insight #3: The travel and tourism infrastructure is in trouble

The pent-up travel demand is causing additional strain on the existing infrastructure, particularly for the airline sector. Problems with safety protocols and compliance with new national and international health standards are predicted to be made worse by capacity constraints when the industry recovers. This is expected to result in (even) longer lines, (more) crowded terminals and operational bottlenecks.

Social distancing measures have been lifted in many countries, including the US. But measures are still in place in many airports around the world, thus reducing airport capacity. Airports that operated close to their saturation capacity before the COVID crisis can expect to reach their maximum saturation capacity at just 60%–75% of their pre-COVID peaks.

According to ACI World, as air transport demand recovers, passenger demand will put more pressure on existing airport infrastructures. This may have socio-economic consequences, if not addressed in time. If long-term capacity constraints are not addressed through capital investments, it is estimated to lead to a reduction of up to 5.1 billion passengers globally, by 2040. For every million passengers that airports cannot accommodate due to airport capacity constraints in 2040, there would be 10,500 fewer jobs and 346 million USD less in GDP contribution from the industry.

Airports are often the “first impression” of a destination. A traveler’s airport experience sets the stage for the rest of the journey. When greeted with chaos and delays, even the most intrepid traveler can sour on the experience. Recently the US has made modest steps towards infrastructure improvement, including the Infrastructure Investment Act passed in November 2021, which includes spending for airports. While its impact will not be immediately felt, many travel associations have applauded the passing of this long overdue legislation.

Travel Insight #4: There’s no quick fix for the staffing shortage

If you’ve stepped foot in an airport this summer, you already know. The travel industry is facing a severe staffing challenge, particularly for customer-facing roles at hotels and airlines. Industry CEOs acknowledge that they are struggling to add staff to meet demand.

Airlines, in particular, are struggling to fill staffing requirements. Boeing’s 2021 Pilot and Technician Outlook voices concern that many airline workers who were furloughed during COVID may have left the industry permanently. The commercial airline industry needs 612,000 new pilots, 626,000 new maintenance technicians and 886,000 new cabin crew members over the next 20 years. Hotels and hospitality are also struggling, making it harder to deliver on guests’ expectations. Many hotels are shifting housekeeping services to a by-request-only model and some are cutting back on food and beverage amenities, including room service and restaurants.

What’s the precautionary tale to take away from this staffing mess? It can take decades to build brand trust, and one canceled flight, one bad stay, to destroy it. How people experience your brand — no matter if it’s in the best of times or the worst of times — stays with them. Travelers expect consistency from major brands. It will take time and investment for many airline and hospitality brands to rebuild trust in the quality and consistency of their brand experience.

Travel Insight #5: COVID is with us for the long haul

COVID travel restrictions are still impacting many elements of world tourism, with countries like China continuing to impose stringent restrictions and quarantines on visitors as well as Chinese outbound travelers.

In Asia Pacific, 83% of travel businesses report that ongoing COVID restrictions continue to have a moderate to extensive impact. This compares with 59% in Western Europe, according to Euromonitor. Although less, compared to 2021 levels, COVID concerns among travelers persist. Ongoing concerns, including new variants, affect the travel decisions of 55% of travelers, according to another recent study. Travelers are planning their trips cautiously, and nearly 70% are avoiding certain destinations, with 56% preferring close destinations and 56% avoiding crowded places.

Just as sanctions have grounded Russian travelers, COVID restrictions are keeping Chinese travelers homebound. Popular destinations for Chinese tourists such as Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Australia continue losing out on billions in tourism revenue. And countries with strict quarantine requirements like Japan continue to struggle. Between June 10 and July 10 this year, Japan hosted only 1,500 international tourists, according to data from Japan’s Immigration Services Agency. That’s down 95% from the same period in 2019. Who wants to spend half their holiday in quarantine? Destinations like Japan have focused on promoting domestic travel, but with COVID with us for the long haul, doubling down on domestic travel marketing and promotions is not a sustainable strategy.

Turn disruption into opportunity with tourism industry research and consulting

Escalent specializes in travel and tourism market research, traveler behavior, tourism investment strategy and consultative support across the travel and tourism ecosystem. Learn more about our Travel & Tourism practice and let us help you ride out the storm and go forth with confidence.

SOURCES CITED

(forthcoming) Escalent 2022 Holiday Shopping and Travel Study Please contact us if you would like to be notified when the report is available. View press release .

Voice of the Industry: Travel Survey, Facing New Challenges, Euromonitor, May 2022

Travel: Quarterly Statement Q1 2022, Euromonitor, May 2022

Holiday Barometer among Europeans, North Americans, Asians & Oceanians, Ipsos, June 2022

Japan is open to travel. So why aren’t tourists coming back? CNN, July 31, 2022

Deloitte travel outlook, The winding path to recovery 2022

Half of US Hospitality Workers Won’t Return in Job Crunch, Bloomberg, July 2021

Staff Shortages: World Travel & Tourism Council Travel Survey, May 2022

Related Industry: Travel & Tourism

Related Solution: Brand Positioning , Customer Experience Management , Market Assessment

Related Expertise: Secondary Research

Vivek leads Escalent’s Travel & Tourism practice where he works with tourism boards, airlines, hotels and hospitality brands across the globe, including in China, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. A featured thought leader at global travel and tourism forums such as ITB, TTRA, and PCMA, his expertise spans the Travel & Tourism value chain. Vivek is an experienced business executive with expertise in various business elements including operations, business development and P&L management. A seasoned insights leader, he advises clients on market assessment  and entry strategy, market sizing and growth strategies. An engineer by training, he holds an MBA in Strategy & Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management. Vivek has a keen interest in human psychology and believes that a transparent, win-all proposition is the key to creating a sustainable people-centric business.

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Sustainability Leaders United

Achieving sustainable tourism: these are the key challenges.

The tourism industry has witnessed a sea of change in the past three years due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. While many of us hoped for a shift toward sustainable tourism on a massive scale, the industry continues to be plagued by problems. What are those challenges? How can destinations and businesses overcome them?

For those who are earnestly looking to start or transition into running a sustainable form of tourism, our panel of sustainable tourism specialists provides an excellent breakdown of the problems and what can be done to overcome them to achieve sustainability. Below are the answers (highlighted respondents are available as consultants or speakers ).

Some key takeaways of main challenges :

• Failing to acknowledge that every destination is different, with its own specific circumstances and priorities.
• Working in silos. Not understanding that sustainability is a collective journey that requires collaboration.
• Lack of political will – the switch to sustainability is not easy and even more difficult if local or regional public policy doesn’t support it.
• Using inadequate measures of success, such as merely the number of arrivals (which can lead to overconsumption).
• Not involving employees and supply chain adequately.
• Consequences of the Pandemic, especially the focus on quick earnings over a slow and sustainable tourism.
• A missing sense of urgency – e.g., while the climate has begun changing considerable, action is slow.
• No adequate measures in place to manage overcrowding now that tourism will bounce back.
• Greenwashing – not finding the right balance between touting one’s green credentials and exaggerating claims of sustainability.
• Lack of awareness – insufficient awareness among the tourism industry of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Brian Mullis

This topic is already well covered. In short, we need more purpose-driven businesses that are directly or indirectly involved in the visitor economy by applying commercial strategies to deliver tangible social and environmental impact. And we need more governments working across ministries and with all of the players in the tourism value chain (e.g., private sector, NGOs, communities, etc.) to unlock systems value.

Fiona Jeffery

It’s a vast subject, that’s often overwhelming with a lack of understood practical steps. Also, no environment is necessarily the same, so you are always trying, shaping and developing relevant and local solutions to ensure the right impacts.

Jonathon Day

Sustainability is a complex activity. It requires keeping many plates spinning at once. It is a commitment to a way of doing business – not just an easy add-on.

Kelly Bricker

• various demands by tourists (think supply chain)
• transportation-related issues
• organizational constraints (chains)
• human and financial resources
• growing population and number of travellers, overwhelming some systems

Vicky Smith

• Egos and associated values
• The pursuit of profit at the expense of others
• Want and greed over need
• A superiority to assume better
• An unwillingness to listen and learn from others
• An unwillingness to change because it’s harder work
• An inability to face harsh truths
• Self-interest

The human condition takes the path of least resistance (like other animals) and doesn’t want to be made to feel bad.

Aivar Ruukel

I think the main problem is the same old mindset and way of doing things. It is not helping if you pick new and better tools, but still have old aims, which are most often so simplistic as “more tourists, more turnover, more profit”. The challenge is to give up on the idea of endless growth within a limited planet. All tourism professionals should understand that tourism is not an industry but a living system. When changing the way we see ourselves and our sector, we can change everything else too.

Alexandra Pastollnigg

Black-and-white thinking; focusing on narrow KPIs without an appreciation of sustainability as a holistic concept and 2nd/3rd order consequences; conflicts of interest in senior business and political decision making/system failures; ego.

Ally Dragozet

A lack of local policies supporting sustainability, and the unavailability of sustainable products or services.

Amine Ahlafi

First, the mentality of managers and human resources in charge of the management of tourism activities and who should have updated training in sustainable development and its impact on business and on ecosystems. Secondly, the segmented approach of some decision-makers who have an interest in adopting a global vision and a holistic and sustainable approach.

The main challenges, therefore, remain awareness-raising, training and policies in favour of sustainability.

Anna Spenceley

I think a great deal of the challenges relates to a lack of awareness of what needs to be done to become more sustainable. This is further compounded when there is a need for skills, resources and effort.

A presentation I gave on this topic at a “Sustainable Tourism Training for Tomorrow”’ event, along with other contributions from notable speakers on the same topic, can be found here .

I’ve been privileged to work over the past 20 years with tourism businesses and destinations at the forefront of sustainability (see for example the book co-written with Sue Snyman ‘ Private sector tourism in conservation areas in Africa ‘)

Recognising the information challenges that are faced, I recently published a book that aims to help transfer more knowledge to tourism businesses and destinations, and help improve their successes: the “Handbook for Sustainable Tourism Practitioners: The Essential Toolbox”.

The handbook is divided into four main parts that address different elements of sustainable tourism planning, operation and evaluation. It contains 27 chapters providing insightful detail into key sustainable tourism issues. The authors share step-by-step approaches to practical problems – such as how to write bankable financial proposals – how to consult with stakeholders – and how to manage visitors.

The book transfers knowledge from the academic realm, and from extensive practitioner experience, into one essential 550-page volume. It’s available in e-book and hardback here .

Anne de Jong

When they do it because they feel it will make more money or if they feel it’s something they need to do because it’s the right thing. And even though the latter is important, in the end, they do have a business to run. So, they need to find a way where sustainability fits into their business and actually makes them better. Creating a situation where sustainability is fully integrated into the business and not something on the side.

Antonio Abreu

Lack of vision and weak understanding of the role that sustainability should play in the business. Too often see the action without a solid background, which leads to a certain agitation without effective change. We often listen to people saying that they know, do, and they are champions, but, in reality, they have no clue about it.

The tourism sector is very resistant to accepting the need to include other professionals and other skills. This is the case when it comes to environmental issues. Hotel managers, for instance, tend to consider that anyone in the organisation is able to assume professional and technical roles instead of recruiting qualified people. For the restaurant, they want the best chef, but for handling environmental issues, anyone can do it. It is a basic mistake that we see every day everywhere.

Antonis Petropoulos

In terms of businesses, lack of real commitment to sustainable principles (such as the SDGs ) on the part of management and employees along with a lack of training. Destinations will fail to reach sustainability goals if they:

• lack a critical mass of sustainable tourism businesses
• if they do not have a competent DMO that can coordinate these businesses and
• if public tourism policy is only paying lip service to sustainability, permanently fixated on arrival numbers and expenditure per head

Audrey Scott

Sustainability should be thought of as a long journey that will likely last forever. New approaches, technologies and ecological realities are ever-changing. However, many tourism businesses/destinations won’t know where to actually start and they can get overwhelmed by the complexity of criteria/certifications and feel that sustainability is “all or nothing.” Many businesses think that it’s too expensive and still too niche to be profitable.

Beatriz Barreal

At least in Latin America, the main pitfalls are corruption, greenwashing, and short-term vision. The main challenge is in raising the awareness and the lack of action towards the sustainability of this world, which affects all of us, where we live and where we travel to.

Christian Baumgartner

Convincing the decision-makers involved to think regionally instead of operationally, long-term instead of in terms of investment periods, and complex instead of one-dimensional – and then to act accordingly. Not to shift the responsibility and wait for consumers to express the desire for more sustainability.

Christof Burgbacher

Too often it is decided from top to bottom what the sustainable orientation of a company or destination should look like. However, the participation of employees, the local population, guests and other partners is crucial, as they ultimately have to accept and implement the measures. If a participation process is designed correctly, it can also generate many ideas and creative approaches.

Darrell Wade

Self-interest is the primary one. People consider their own needs, but don’t recognise those of others or the impacts of their own actions. By not considering externalities you are inherently creating a short-term business that will not have sustainability in any sense.

Elisa Spampinato

The main pitfalls that can prevent tourism businesses from success are forgetting that sustainability is a collective journey and, therefore, separating the actions of the actors involved.

Another big pitfall is considering the different dimensions of sustainability as disconnected areas that need segmented interventions and focuses.

They should be highlighted and understood as different areas of intervention, however, on the practical level they should be unified, and a specific effort should be made, at the destination level, to create solutions that can include more than one dimension. And above all, the local communities should be active in the process.

Also, I am among those people that think that we cannot work on environmental, social, economic, and cultural dimensions if we do not include an additional one to the equation: the political.

This means that the political institutions should continue the journey towards sustainability beyond the limitation of the mandate and the people that initiate those specific actions. Sustainability should be understood as a collective journey through generations, driven in a consistent way, whose direction should be dictated exclusively by the destination’s circumstances and contextual priorities.

Regarding challenges, there are big economic interests involved in the tourism business and a huge disparity of power in its management. In fact, most of the people that directly feel the impact of tourism has no part or voice in shaping the industry.

However, there are encouraging examples of innovative government, like the municipality of Barcelona, which show that new solutions to the democratization of the process can be found.

Seems that local governments are finding new ways to really listen and include the local community voices.

While the technology factor can be an important ally for the urban communities, a way is yet to be found to include the voices of the traditional, indigenous, and ancestral rural communities left out of the loop and mostly left alone to face the consequence of deregulated tourism activities and the effects of the climate change.

Therefore, the main challenges we face are changing the balance of power and opening up spaces to new stakeholders who could greatly contribute to sustainability if only they were given more space in the decision-making process.

Elizabeth Becker

Convincing governments at all levels to enact and enforce rules for sustainable tourism.

Erik van Dijk

Sustainable tourism is not expensive as people think. Bring the right balance between hospitality and sustainability.

Frankie Hobro

In the past, there hasn’t been much encouragement for tourism to be sustainable but fortunately, I think that is changing now with consumer pressure and expectations in an evolving market. And also with the new generation showing genuine concern over their future on our planet and how our everyday actions contribute to it.

I think many businesses are concerned about viability as a sustainable operation can require a lot of short-term investment with little immediate return and some businesses cannot survive long enough to benefit from the long-term gains when faced with non-sustainable competition. A lack of support for ‘green development’ and funding contributes to this problem as the sustainable option often costs more than the quickest and easiest option.

More successful sustainability trailblazers are needed to encourage and support those who want to follow suit, lead by example and show that it is worth taking the risks and that it can succeed.

Gianna Moscardo

Tourism has two features that make sustainability a challenge.

It occurs across so many different sectors and spaces that a lot of tourism is conducted without any one organization in charge of it. Let’s take the example of Stag parties in a European city with young drunk men behaving badly in public spaces and damaging those spaces – who is responsible for them?

• The places they stay (no because they have no control over the public spaces)
• The airlines that bring them to the city (again no)
• The bars that served them (maybe a little bit)
• The DMO who didn’t encourage them to come and often don’t know there is a problem until it is a major problem
• The international tour operator who has no connection to the destination but organises the package (maybe morally but legally none at all)

That latter example is the second sustainability challenge – a large chunk of tourism is organized by businesses who have no connection to, or interest (other than financial gain) in the destinations that they send tourists to and make money from. They have no incentives to behave well and bear very little in the way of negative consequences if they behave badly. Not all businesses in this sector behave badly but enough do to create problems.

Glenn Jampol

There is one overriding essential component to “sustainable tourism” and that is financial sustainability. Without a profit, your business cannot survive and therefore the possibility to do good is erased. So, all tourism businesses- whether regenerative or conventional -must first and foremost create viable and researched business platforms and seek to understand who their clients are and who they will be.

New small-scale tourism businesses usually function on a thread of support both financially and experientially and are often family-owned and operated. They frequently have little or no real experience in how to manage and grow a tourism company and usually spend too much time in the tourism world learning curve while sacrificing the opportunity to enjoy the best part of owning one of these businesses: the innovative idea-driven projects that not only help to create a fresh approach but also a niche for new and hopefully loyal clients.

Greg Bakunzi

One of the main challenges is the mindset of the community, where the tourism products are offered, the other one is the tourist visiting the area, without responsible, I mean respecting the culture and the people they are visiting.

James Crockett

Getting caught up in how to look good, virtue signalling and a desire to be seen to do good. The most important stuff happens behind the scenes with no one watching, yes there are some great inclusive components which need a song and dance to promote and spread the word to generate buy-in but it is not the starting point.

Joanna Van Gruisen

Competition and profit lead to overtourism. However sustainable the operation of a tourist company is, its very success can invite others who may not entirely share the same sustainable philosophy. Nothing can kill a destination faster than overtourism. Competition can lead to price wars too which can compromise sustainability. At a village level, this can be avoided by tourism operating with community, not individual, benefits, in a wider context, it is harder to avoid without government intervention and support/regulations.

Jonathan Tourtellot

Regarding destinations:

Using wrong or incomplete measures of success, such as the number of arrivals; ignoring local opinions and desires (or heeding only local desires); inability to counter the power of large corporations (e.g. cruise lines); short-term government thinking and quick-buck solutions; proclivity of donor agencies to fund infrastructure over human capacity development; siloed thinking at the destination level.

Jorge Moller Rivas

Wrong public policy without involving the community.

Lisa Choegyal

Especially in the extreme economic and social suffering post-COVID in many destinations, when tourism returns it will be tempting to cut corners in the desperation to survive and succumb to market forces. We are already seeing this in unsustainable under-cutting and price slashing, for example. Many operations have been forced to lay off staff without pay, causing enormous hardship and threatening the quality of the product once visitors return. The challenge will be to stick to your sustainable tourism principles.

Mariana Madureira

Pitfall – being shallow, superficial or irrelevant. Eg. a hotel communicating not to wash towels frequently.

Challenge – go deeper, and think of business as a tool to create value for society. Rethink business model and relation with stakeholders.

Marcus Cotton

Nothing can prevent individual businesses from doing more to be sustainable. Only it takes leadership by owners of the business to motivate and inspire change commitment among employees. Fear of failure is the biggest constraint coupled with the human approach of being comfortable with the status quo. Sustainability is a journey, not a destination (a glib definition!) and that ongoing process can put people off.

Marta Mills

The biggest challenges are:

• lack of understanding of what sustainable travel means and why it is important
• lack of awareness
• the short-sightedness of people who want a quick financial gain
• lack of political will, but that comes mostly from the lack of awareness and understanding

Megan Epler Wood

This is a very complex question, but I would say this – we need to change governance and decision-making procedures. Our leadership institutions are still mainly driven by growth.

Mike McHugo

Having a united vision and making sure investors (which one may or may not need) have the same vision.

Natalia Naranjo Ramos

Implementing sustainability requires a coordinated approach to face the challenges and the potential negative impacts of tourism activities.

Paul Peeters

The main pitfall is believing in ineffective ‘solutions’ like offsetting emissions, battery aircraft, and bio-fuels, trying to weigh economics and social aspects against existential issues like climate change and biodiversity. The latter is not possible and means that for relatively vague reasons (losing jobs, while there are many ways to generate labour) to lose the earth systems that are essential for the survival of humans.

Challenges are: get away from the over-valuation of distance, international travel, air travel and back to the essence of being from home even if a short distance. Also focusing on policy-making is essential to make all elements of tourism, but particularly flying, zero emissions by 2050. If that is technically unsuccessful, it should be clear that aviation will be reduced to a small sector.

Peter Richards

There are so many.

Internally: Greed, weak understanding of ‘why?’, weak leadership, lack of prioritising and giving time, lack of resourcing (either intentionally or unintentionally) lack of motivating and encouraging staff, lack of good management systems to systematise and scale-up impacts.

Externally: weak government support, corruption undermining competitive environments, weak demand by customers, lack of access to modern technologies at a reasonable price.

Rachel Dodds

There are many:

• the focus on numbers, rather than yield
• the fact our political cycles are often 3-5 years but real change takes 10-20
• that all stakeholders are not equal in terms of power
• the political will to change is lacking
• humans have short memories and so make the same mistakes over and over and those that want change are often not in control of the things that need to change

Rebecca Hawkins

Depends on the business/destination. Sometimes belief, passion, and the quest for growth at any cost. Very occasionally it is downright irresponsibility. More often than not it is a combination of conflicting priorities (e.g. between service standards and sustainability criteria), bonkers business models (that separate property ownership from management), perverse incentives (that reward consumption rather than conservation) and a firmly held belief that if the customer wants it we as a service industry have to provide it.

Digital marketing under the social influence has enormous potential to cause overtourism which can not be sustainable anymore. For instance, when destinations are using their unique mountain lake for a destination campaign, “Instagram” travellers perhaps flood the spot. Nature and locals have to pay the price for the mass invasion.

Richard Butler

The fact that the majority of tourists and many operators and governments are not prepared to adapt their behaviour/operation to the extent it would be needed to become truly sustainable.

Richard Hammond

Separating the green from the greenwash.

Shannon Guihan

Understanding. While we carry on debating the best term or definition to use, our industry, which is largely SMEs, must engage in action. However, the concept of ‘sustainability’ is daunting, and so many businesses remain uncertain about where to begin. This, in my opinion, is a massive issue. Those of us engaged must offer our resources and approaches – we must help businesses to determine the scope and supporting tactics, rather than intimidate them from joining the effort.

Shannon Stowell

Right now the economic realities of a recovering world will be a real setback for many. Some headway was being made with single-use plastics for instance and this area seems to be regressing because of COVID.

Also, there is no sense of real urgency for the environment or climate with the general public. Until the public understands and believes the seriousness of the situation, it feels like we’ll spin our wheels in many situations.

Shivya Nath

• Business models prioritize volume over all else, ignoring planetary boundaries.
• Sustainability as a niche, rather than a norm.
• Placing the burden of choosing sustainable travel on the consumer.

Sonja Gottlebe

Economic sustainability is essential to be able to lead activities. The pandemic has shown the limits and fragility of tourism all over the world. The wide supply chain is suffering from this crisis.

In poor countries like Madagascar, it’s impacting the well-being of communities directly, lemurs are hunted for meat, and forests are burnt down for charcoal! Without a vision for the future, without a vaccination plan, the biggest challenge will be for travel. to bounce back!

Willem Niemeijer

Greenwashing, even if it’s done unwittingly, needs to be rooted out. Third-party certification can help avoid this trap that gives the industry a bad name. Developing destinations also need to ensure that foreign investments benefit the local community while protecting the interests of the investor.

Xavier Font

The urgent get in the way of the important. We aim to reap short-term benefits without being aware of the long-term consequences of our actions. And too much selfishness.

More about the sustainable tourism expert panel here – including previous sessions and answers to some of the most pressing issues linked to making tourism more sustainable.

Beyond Greenwashing: Experts Weigh in on the Realities and Opportunities of Sustainable Tourism

Most Inspiring Sustainable Tourism Champions to Follow in 2023

Sustainable Tourism Development: Key Trends and Priorities in 2023

Innovation for Tourism Sustainability: Challenges to Overcome

Innovation for Tourism Sustainability: Priorities & Opportunities

Innovation for Tourism Sustainability: Examples and Solutions

Sustainable Tourism 2022 and Beyond: These Are the Keys to Success

Career Choice: Why Focus on Tourism and Sustainability?

What Characterizes a Sustainability Leader in Tourism?

Sustainable, Responsible, Transformative, or Regenerative Tourism: Where Is the Difference?

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility

• Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
• Accessible Tourism

Tourism and Culture

• Women’s Empowerment and Tourism

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The convergence between tourism and culture, and the increasing interest of visitors in cultural experiences, bring unique opportunities but also complex challenges for the tourism sector.

“Tourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which they should protect and pass on to future generations; particular care should be devoted to preserving monuments, worship sites, archaeological and historic sites as well as upgrading museums which must be widely open and accessible to tourism visits”

UN Tourism Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics

Article 7, paragraph 2

This webpage provides UN Tourism resources aimed at strengthening the dialogue between tourism and culture and an informed decision-making in the sphere of cultural tourism. It also promotes the exchange of good practices showcasing inclusive management systems and innovative cultural tourism experiences .  

About Cultural Tourism

According to the definition adopted by the UN Tourism General Assembly, at its 22nd session (2017), Cultural Tourism implies “A type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions”. UN Tourism provides support to its members in strengthening cultural tourism policy frameworks, strategies and product development . It also provides guidelines for the tourism sector in adopting policies and governance models that benefit all stakeholders, while promoting and preserving cultural elements.

Recommendations for Cultural Tourism Key Players on Accessibility 

UN Tourism , Fundación ONCE and UNE issued in September 2023, a set of guidelines targeting key players of the cultural tourism ecosystem, who wish to make their offerings more accessible.

The key partners in the drafting and expert review process were the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) . The ICOMOS experts’ input was key in covering crucial action areas where accessibility needs to be put in the spotlight, in order to make cultural experiences more inclusive for all people.

This guidance tool is also framed within the promotion of the ISO Standard ISO 21902 , in whose development UN Tourism had one of the leading roles.

Download here the English and Spanish version of the Recommendations.

Compendium of Good Practices in Indigenous Tourism

The report is primarily meant to showcase good practices championed by indigenous leaders and associations from the Region. However, it also includes a conceptual introduction to different aspects of planning, management and promotion of a responsible and sustainable indigenous tourism development.

The compendium also sets forward a series of recommendations targeting public administrations, as well as a list of tips promoting a responsible conduct of tourists who decide to visit indigenous communities.

For downloads, please visit the UN Tourism E-library page: Download in English - Download in Spanish .

Weaving the Recovery - Indigenous Women in Tourism

This initiative, which gathers UN Tourism , t he World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) , Centro de las Artes Indígenas (CAI) and the NGO IMPACTO , was selected as one of the ten most promising projects amoung 850+ initiatives to address the most pressing global challenges. The project will test different methodologies in pilot communities, starting with Mexico , to enable indigenous women access markets and demonstrate their leadership in the post-COVID recovery.

This empowerment model , based on promoting a responsible tourism development, cultural transmission and fair-trade principles, will represent a novel community approach with a high global replication potential.

Visit the Weaving the Recovery - Indigenous Women in Tourism project webpage.

Inclusive Recovery of Cultural Tourism

The release of the guidelines comes within the context of the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development 2021 , a UN initiative designed to recognize how culture and creativity, including cultural tourism, can contribute to advancing the SDGs.  

UN Tourism Inclusive Recovery Guide, Issue 4: Indigenous Communities

Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism

The Recommendations on Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism provide guidance to tourism stakeholders to develop their operations in a responsible and sustainable manner within those indigenous communities that wish to:

• Open up to tourism development, or
• Improve the management of the existing tourism experiences within their communities.

They were prepared by the UN Tourism Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility Department in close consultation with indigenous tourism associations, indigenous entrepreneurs and advocates. The Recommendations were endorsed by the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and finally adopted by the UN Tourism General Assembly in 2019, as a landmark document of the Organization in this sphere.

Who are these Recommendations targeting?

• Tour operators and travel agencies
• Tour guides
• Indigenous communities
• Other stakeholders such as governments, policy makers and destinations

The Recommendations address some of the key questions regarding indigenous tourism:

Download PDF:

• Recommendations on Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism
• Recomendaciones sobre el desarrollo sostenible del turismo indígena, ESP

UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conferences on Tourism and Culture

The UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conferences on Tourism and Culture bring together Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Culture with the objective to identify key opportunities and challenges for a stronger cooperation between these highly interlinked fields. Gathering tourism and culture stakeholders from all world regions the conferences which have been hosted by Cambodia, Oman, Türkiye and Japan have addressed a wide range of topics, including governance models, the promotion, protection and safeguarding of culture, innovation, the role of creative industries and urban regeneration as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.

Fourth UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Investing in future generations. Kyoto, Japan. 12-13 December 2019 Kyoto Declaration on Tourism and Culture: Investing in future generations ( English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Japanese )

Third UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture : For the Benefit of All. Istanbul, Türkiye. 3 -5 December 2018 Istanbul Declaration on Tourism and Culture: For the Benefit of All ( English , French , Spanish , Arabic , Russian )

Second UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conference’s on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development. Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. 11-12 December 2017 Muscat Declaration on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development ( English , French , Spanish , Arabic , Russian )

First UN Tourism/UNESCO World Conference’s on Tourism and Culture: Building a new partnership. Siem Reap, Cambodia. 4-6 February 2015 Siem Reap Declaration on Tourism and Culture – Building a New Partnership Model ( English )

UN Tourism Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage  

The first UN Tourism Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage provides comprehensive baseline research on the interlinkages between tourism and the expressions and skills that make up humanity’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH). 

Through a compendium of case studies drawn from across five continents, the report offers in-depth information on, and analysis of, government-led actions, public-private partnerships and community initiatives.

These practical examples feature tourism development projects related to six pivotal areas of ICH: handicrafts and the visual arts; gastronomy; social practices, rituals and festive events; music and the performing arts; oral traditions and expressions; and, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

Highlighting innovative forms of policy-making, the UN Tourism Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage recommends specific actions for stakeholders to foster the sustainable and responsible development of tourism by incorporating and safeguarding intangible cultural assets.

UN Tourism Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage

• UN Tourism Study
• Summary of the Study

Studies and research on tourism and culture commissioned by UN Tourism

• Tourism and Culture Synergies, 2018
• UN Tourism Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2012
• Big Data in Cultural Tourism – Building Sustainability and Enhancing Competitiveness (e-unwto.org)

Outcomes from the UN Tourism Affiliate Members World Expert Meeting on Cultural Tourism, Madrid, Spain, 1–2 December 2022

UN Tourism and the Region of Madrid – through the Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports – held the World Expert Meeting on Cultural Tourism in Madrid on 1 and 2 December 2022. The initiative reflects the alliance and common commitment of the two partners to further explore the bond between tourism and culture. This publication is the result of the collaboration and discussion between the experts at the meeting, and subsequent contributions.

Relevant Links

• 3RD UN Tourism/UNESCO WORLD CONFERENCE ON TOURISM AND CULTURE ‘FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL’

Photo credit of the Summary's cover page:  www.banglanatak.com

13 Social impacts of tourism + explanations + examples

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Understanding the social impacts of tourism is vital to ensuring the sustainable management of the tourism industry. There are positive social impacts of tourism, demonstrating benefits to both the local community and the tourists. There are also negative social impacts of tourism.

In this article I will explain what the most common social impacts of tourism are and how these are best managed. At the end of the post I have also included a handy reading list for anybody studying travel and tourism or for those who are interested in learning more about travel and tourism management.

The social impacts of tourism

Preserving local culture, strengthening communities, provision of social services, commercialisation of culture and art, revitalisation of culture and art, preservation of heritage, social change, globalisation and the destruction of preservation and heritage, loss of authenticity , standardisation and commercialisation, culture clashes, tourist-host relationships, increase in crime, gambling and moral behaviour, social impacts of tourism: conclusion, social impacts of tourism- further reading.

Firstly, we need to understand what is meant by the term ‘social impacts of tourism’. I have covered this in my YouTube video below!

To put it simply, social impacts of tourism are; 

“The effects on host communities of direct and indirect relations with tourists , and of interaction with the tourism industry”

This is also often referred to as socio-cultural impacts.

Tourism is, at its core, an interactive service. This means that host-guest interaction is inevitable. This can have significant social/socio-cultural impacts.

These social impacts can be seen as benefits or costs (good or bad). I will explain these below.

Positive social impacts of tourism

There are many social benefits of tourism, demonstrating positive social impacts. These might include; preserving the local culture and heritage; strengthening communities; provision of social services; commercialisation of culture and art; revitalisation of customs and art forms and the preservation of heritage.

It is the local culture that the tourists are often coming to visit.

Tourists visit Beijing to learn more about the Chinese Dynasties. Tourists visit Thailand to taste authentic Thai food. Tourists travel to Brazil to go to the Rio Carnival, to mention a few…

Many destinations will make a conserved effort to preserve and protect the local culture. This often contributes to the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, the protection of local heritage, and a renaissance of indigenous cultures, cultural arts and crafts.

In one way, this is great! Cultures are preserved and protected and globalisation is limited. BUT, I can’t help but wonder if this is always natural? We don’t walk around in Victorian corsets or smoke pipes anymore…

Our social settings have changed immensely over the years. And this is a normal part of evolution! So is it right that we should try to preserve the culture of an area for the purposes of tourism? Or should we let them grow and change, just as we do? Something to ponder on I guess…

Tourism can be a catalyst for strengthening a local community.

Events and festivals of which local residents have been the primary participants and spectators are often rejuvenated and developed in response to tourist interest. I certainly felt this was the way when I went to the Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain. The community atmosphere and vibe were just fantastic!

The jobs created by tourism can also be a great boost for the local community. Aside from the economic impacts created by enhanced employment prospects, people with jobs are happier and more social than those without a disposable income.

Local people can also increase their influence on tourism development, as well as improve their job and earnings prospects, through tourism-related professional training and development of business and organisational skills.

Read also: Economic leakage in tourism explained

The tourism industry requires many facilities/ infrastructure to meet the needs of the tourist. This often means that many developments in an area as a result of tourism will be available for use by the locals also.

Local people often gained new roads, new sewage systems, new playgrounds, bus services etc as a result of tourism. This can provide a great boost to their quality of life and is a great example of a positive social impact of tourism.

Tourism can see rise to many commercial business, which can be a positive social impact of tourism. This helps to enhance the community spirit as people tend to have more disposable income as a result.

These businesses may also promote the local cultures and arts. Museums, shows and galleries are fantastic way to showcase the local customs and traditions of a destination. This can help to promote/ preserve local traditions.

Some destinations will encourage local cultures and arts to be revitalised. This may be in the form of museum exhibitions, in the way that restaurants and shops are decorated and in the entertainment on offer, for example.

This may help promote traditions that may have become distant.

Many tourists will visit the destination especially to see its local heritage. It is for this reason that many destinations will make every effort to preserve its heritage.

This could include putting restrictions in place or limiting tourist numbers, if necessary. This is often an example of careful tourism planning  and sustainable tourism management.

This text by Hyung You Park explains the principles of heritage tourism in more detail.

Negative social impacts of tourism

Unfortunately, there are a large number of socio-cultural costs on the host communities. These negative social impacts include; social change; changing values; increased crime and gambling; changes in moral behaviour; changes in family structure and roles; problems with the tourist-host relationship and the destruction of heritage.

Social change is basically referring to changes in the way that society acts or behaves. Unfortunately, there are many changes that come about as a result of tourism that are not desirable.

There are many examples throughout the world where local populations have changed because of tourism.

Perhaps they have changed the way that they speak or the way that they dress. Perhaps they have been introduced to alcohol through the tourism industry or they have become resentful of rich tourists and turned to crime. These are just a few examples of the negative social impacts of tourism.

Read also: Business tourism explained: What, why and where

Globalisation is the way in which the world is becoming increasingly connected. We are losing our individuality and gaining a sense of ‘global being’, whereby we are more and more alike than ever before.

Globalisation is inevitable in the tourism industry because of the interaction between tourists and hosts, which typically come from different geographic and cultural backgrounds. It is this interaction that encourage us to become more alike.

Here are some examples:

• When I went on the Jungle Book tour on my travels through Goa, the tourists were giving the Goan children who lived in the area sweets. These children would never have eaten such sweets should they not have come into contact with the tourists.
• When I travelled to The Gambia I met a local worker (known as a ‘ bumster ‘) who was wearing a Manchester United football top. When I asked him about it he told me that he was given the top by a tourist who visited last year. If it was not for said tourist, he would not have this top.
• In Thailand , many workers have exchanged their traditional work of plowing the fields to work in the cities, in the tourism industry. They have learnt to speak English and to eat Western food. If it were not for the tourists they would have a different line of work, they would not speak English and they would not choose to eat burger and chips for their dinner!

Many people believe globalisation to be a bad thing. BUT, there are also some positives. Think about this…

Do you want an ‘authentic’ squat toilet in your hotel bathroom or would you rather use a Western toilet? Are you happy to eat rice and curry for breakfast as the locals would do or do you want your cornflakes? Do you want to struggle to get by when you don’t speak the local language or are you pleased to find somebody who speaks English?

When we travel, most tourists do want a sense of ‘familiar’. And globalisation helps us to get that!

You can learn more about globalisation in this post- What is globalisation? A simple explanation .

Along similar lines to globalisation is the loss of authenticity that often results from tourism.

Authenticity is essentially something that is original or unchanged. It is not fake or reproduced in any way.

The Western world believe that a tourist destination is no longer authentic when their cultural values and traditions change. But I would argue is this not natural? Is culture suppose to stay the same or it suppose to evolve throughout each generation? 

Take a look at the likes of the long neck tribe in Thailand or the Maasai Tribe in Africa. These are two examples of cultures which have remained ‘unchanged’ for the sole purpose of tourism. They appear not to have changed the way that they dress, they way that they speak or the way that they act in generations, all for the purpose of tourism.

To me, however, this begs the question- is it actually authentic? In fact, is this not the exact example of what is not authentic? The rest of the world have modern electricity and iPhones, they watch TV and buy their clothes in the nearest shopping mall. But because tourists want an ‘authentic’ experience, these people have not moved on with the rest of the world, but instead have remained the same.

I think there is also an ethical discussion to be had here, but I’ll leave that for another day…

You can learn more about what is authenticity in tourism here or see some examples of staged authenticity in this post.

Read also: Environmental impacts of tourism

Similarly, destinations risk standardisation in the process of satisfying tourists’ desires for familiar facilities and experiences.

While landscape, accommodation, food and drinks, etc., must meet the tourists’ desire for the new and unfamiliar, they must at the same time not be too new or strange because few tourists are actually looking for completely new things (think again about the toilet example I have previously).

Tourists often look for recognisable facilities in an unfamiliar environment, like well-known fast-food restaurants and hotel chains. Tourist like some things to be standardised (the toilet, their breakfast, their drinks, the language spoken etc), but others to be different (dinner options, music, weather, tourist attractions etc).

Do we want everything to become ‘standardised’ though? I know I miss seeing the little independent shops that used to fill the high streets in the UK. Now it’s all chains and multinational corporations. Sure, I like Starbucks (my mug collection is coming on quite nicely!), but I also love the way that there are no Starbucks in Italy. There’s something great about trying out a traditional, yet unfamiliar coffee shop, or any independant place for that matter.

I personally think that tourism industry stakeholders should proceed with caution when it comes to ‘standardisation’. Sure, give the tourists that sense of familiar that they are looking for. But don’t dilute the culture and traditions of the destination that they are coming to visit, because if it feels too much like home….. well, maybe they will just stay at home next time? Just a little something to think about…

On a less philosophical note, another of the negative social impacts of tourism is that it can have significant consequences is culture clashes.

Because tourism involves movement of people to different geographical locations cultural clashes can take place as a result of differences in cultures, ethnic and religious groups, values, lifestyles, languages and levels of prosperity.

The attitude of local residents towards tourism development may unfold through the stages of euphoria, where visitors are very welcome, through apathy, irritation and potentially antagonism when anti-tourist attitudes begin to grow among local people. This is represented in Doxey’s Irritation Index, as shown below.

Culture clashes can also be exasperated by the fundamental differences in culture between the hosts and the tourists.

There is likely to be economic inequality between locals and tourists who are spending more than they usually do at home. This can cause resentment from the hosts towards the tourists, particularly when they see them wearing expensive jewellery or using plush cameras etc that they know they can’t afford themselves.

Further to this, tourists often, out of ignorance or carelessness, fail to respect local customs and moral values. 

Think about it. Is it right to go topless on a beach if within the local culture it is unacceptable to show even your shoulders?

There are many examples of ways that tourists offend the local population , often unintentionally. Did you know that you should never put your back to a Buddha? Or show the sole of your feet to a Thai person? Or show romantic affection in public in the Middle East?

A little education in this respect could go a long way, but unfortunately, many travellers are completely unaware of the negative social impacts that their actions may have.

The last of the social impacts of tourism that I will discuss is crime, gambling and moral behaviour. Crime rates typically increase with the growth and urbanisation of an area and the growth of mass tourism is often accompanied by increased crime.

The presence of a large number of tourists with a lot of money to spend and often carrying valuables such as cameras and jewellery increases the attraction for criminals and brings with it activities like robbery and drug dealing.

Although tourism is not the cause of sexual exploitation, it provides easy access to it e.g. prostitution and sex tourism . Therefore, tourism can contribute to rises in the numbers of sex workers in a given area. I have seen this myself in many places including The Gambia and Thailand .

Lastly, gambling is a common occurrence as a result of tourism. Growth of casinos and other gambling facilities can encourage not only the tourists to part with their cash, but also the local population .

As I have demonstrated in this post, there are many social impacts of tourism. Whilst some impacts are positive, most unfortunately are negative impacts.

Hopefully this post on the social impacts of tourism has helped you to think carefully about the impacts that your actions may have on the local community that you are visiting. I also hope that it has encouraged some deeper thinking with regards to issues such as globalisation, authenticity and standardisation.

If you are interested in learning more about topics such as this subscribe to my newsletter ! I send out travel tips, discount coupons and some material designed to get you thinking about the wider impacts of the tourism industry (like this post)- perfect for any tourism student or keen traveller!

As you can see, the social impacts of tourism are an important consideration for all industry stakeholders. Do you have any comments on the social impacts of tourism? Leave your comments below.

If you enjoyed this article on the social impacts of tourism, I am sure that you will love these too-

• Environmental impacts of tourism
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What next for travel and tourism? Here's what the experts say

In many countries, more than 80% of travel and tourism spending actually comes from the domestic market. Image:  Unsplash/Surface

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Julie Masiga

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Stay up to date:, travel and tourism.

• In 2020 alone, the travel and tourism sector lost $4.5 trillion and 62 million jobs globally.
• But as the world recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and tourism can bounce back as an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient sector.
• Two experts highlight some of the key transformations in the sector going forward during the World Economic Forum's Our World in Transformation series.

The Travel & Tourism sector was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving not only companies but also tourism-driven economies severely affected by shutdowns, travel restrictions and the disappearance of international travel.

In 2020 alone, the sector lost $4.5 trillion and 62 million jobs, impacting the living standards and well-being of communities across the globe. Moreover, the halt in international travel gave both leisure and business travellers the chance to consider the impact of their choices on the climate and environment.

Amid shifting demand dynamics and future opportunities and risks, a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient travel and tourism sector can be - and needs to be - built.

The World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021 finds that embedding inclusivity, sustainability and resilience into the travel and tourism sector as it recovers, will ensure it can continue to be a driver of global connectivity, peace and economic and social progress.

We spoke to Sandra Carvao , Chief of Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Liz Ortiguera , CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association in Thailand (PATA), and asked them to highlight some of the key areas of risk and opportunity in the sector during an episode of the World Economic Forum's Our World in Transformation series.

Have you read?

Travel & tourism development index 2021: rebuilding for a sustainable and resilient future, towards resilience and sustainability: travel and tourism development recovery, how can we really achieve sustainability in the travel sector, what are some of the top global trends you're witnessing currently in the travel and tourism sector.

Liz Ortiguera: Given the extended lockdown that we had on travel with the pandemic, vacation for friends and relatives (VFR) is now a high priority for people who haven’t been in touch for a long time thanks to the pandemic. So, people are reconnecting. And that kind of links to the second trend, which is multi-purpose or blended travel. Never before, particularly now that we can connect digitally through Zoom, has the ability to work from anywhere enabled travellers to cover multiple purposes, like visits with friends and multiple business trips. So, we'll find that the duration of travel and the length of stay is longer. And third is the continued high focus on safety and wellness which is top of mind for travellers due to the pandemic. All travel is wellness-related now.

Sandra Carvao: I think there is a bigger concern with sustainability, which is very welcome in our industry. Consumers, particularly the younger generation, are much more aware of the impact they have, not only on the environment but also socially and on the communities they live in. We've also seen an increase in expenditure per trip, so I think people are very eager to go outside, and they're staying longer. And on the other side, I think there are some challenges: we’re seeing a rise in late bookings because restrictions can change at short notice and that’s having an impact on the decisions of travellers. This is putting pressure on the industry in terms of planning and anticipating fluctuations in demand.

Social media surveys have shown that travellers who have immersive experiences are more likely to post about them, which is good for the industry.

What is community-based tourism and why is it important?

Sandra Carvao: One of the positive impacts of the pandemic is that people are looking for local experiences and are spending more time with communities. So, the concept of community-based tourism is obviously one that puts the community at the core of every development, ensuring that it's engaged and empowered and that it benefits. At the UNWTO, we worked with the G20 and the Saudi presidency back in 2020 and produced a framework for tourism development in communities, which states that communities need to be part of the planning and management of tourism activities. We need to go beyond traditional definitions of community to a point where the industry leans on partnerships between the public and private sectors and communities.

Liz Ortiguera: In July 2022, PATA is hosting a destination-marketing forum and one of the key themes is community-based tourism. The purpose is really to put the community and authenticity-in-culture activities at the heart of the travel experience. There are benefits for all stakeholders. One is that travellers can have an authentic experience. They're not in overcrowded, touristic locations and they experience something new and unique within the community. These experiences are designed in partnership with communities who get the benefit of financial inclusion, and if activities are designed properly, the reinforcement of their cultural heritage. Governments also engage in economic development more broadly across countries. Another interesting trend is creative tourism, which means you create an experience for tourists to participate in, like a dance lesson, or a cooking lesson. Social media surveys have shown that travellers who have these kinds of immersive experiences are more likely to post about them online and that's good for the industry.

It is important to emphasize that virtual experiences, while they are a fun tool, can never replace visiting a destination.

How is technology and innovation helping to leverage cultural resources?

Sandra Carvao: One interesting trend we’re seeing is that more and more people are booking trips directly, so communities need to be supported to digitize their systems. Education and upskilling of communities are important so that they can leverage digital platforms to market themselves. From the tourists’ perspective, it is important to emphasize that virtual experiences, while they are a fun tool, can never replace visiting a destination.

Liz Ortiguera: People have been living virtually for more than two years. Amazing innovations have emerged, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, and all kinds of applications and tools. But the important thing is the experience. The destination. Real-world experiences need to remain front and centre. Technology tools should be viewed as enablers and not the core experience. And when it comes to staff, technology can really democratize education. There’s an opportunity to mobilize a mobile-first approach for those who are on the frontlines, or out in the field, and can’t easily access computers, but need to get real-time information.

How is the sector dealing with labour shortages and re-employment of the workforce?

Liz Ortiguera: Labour shortages are much more dynamic in North America and in Europe. But it’s having a knock-on effect on Asia. If, for example, their air carriers are limited by staff and they have to cancel flights, which we're very much seeing out of Europe, seating capacity then becomes a limiting factor in the recovery of Asia Pacific. That's the main constraint right now. And compounding that is the rising price of fuel. But people in the Asia Pacific are keen to get reemployed.

Sandra Carvao: Labour shortages are a priority for the sector in countries around the world. Many workers left the sector during the pandemic and the uncertainty that surrounded the measures taken to contain it left many people unsure of whether the sector would recover. It is time to address things like conditions, scheduling, and work/life balance, all things which have been top of mind for workers during the pandemic. As the sector recovers, we need time to bring new hires on board and to train them to take over where those who switched jobs left off.

Are we seeing a growing trend towards domestic tourism?

Sandra Carvao: We’re talking about 9 billion people travelling within their own countries. And in many countries, for example in Germany, more than 80% of the tourism spending actually comes from the domestic market, similarly in countries like Spain and even smaller economies. Whenever it's possible to travel again, domestic markets tend to be more resilient. They kick off first mostly due to perceptions of safety and security issues. As the world economy recovers from the pandemic, there is a good opportunity for nations to rethink their strategy, look at the domestic market in a different way, and leverage different products for domestic tourists.

When it comes to sustainable tourism, how quickly could we mainstream eco-friendly modes of transportation?

Sandra Carvao: Transport is one of the key contributors to energy impacts and tourism. But it's also important that we look at the whole value chain. The UNWTO together with the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme just launched the Glasgow Declaration, which includes green commitments from destinations and companies. We’re seeing a strong movement in the airline industry to reduce emissions. But I think, obviously, technological developments will be very important. But it's also very important to look at market shifts. And we can't forget small islands and developing states that rely on long-haul air travel. It’s important to make sure that we invest in making the problem much less impactful.

Liz Ortiguera: 'Travel and tourism' is such a broad encompassing term that it’s not fair to call it an industry: it is actually a sector of many industries. The pandemic taught us how broad the impact of the sector is in terms of sustainability. There's a big movement in terms of destination resilience, which is the foundation for achieving sustainability in the journey to net-zero. We now have standards to mitigate that impact including meetings-and-events (MIE) standards and standards for tour operators. There are multiple areas within our industry where progress is being made. And I'm really encouraged by the fact that there is such a focus not just within the sector but also among consumers.

This interview was first done at the World Economic Forum's studios in Geneva as part of 'Our World in Transformation' - a live interactive event series for our digital members. To watch all the episodes and join future sessions, please subscribe here .

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Negative health impact of tourists through pandemic: hospitality sector perspective

Although the impact of tourism development on residents has received a lot of attention in the literature, the health impact of tourism has not been sufficiently addressed. Due to outbreaks of COVID-19, the importance of recognition of the negative health impact of tourism is relevant. Thus, the present study aims to identify the health impact of tourism through COVID-19 outbreaks considering residents’ perspectives. In the current research, we gathered data from semi-structured interviews conducted from 10th August to 30 August 2020 to investigate community perception regarding the negative health impact of tourism through the COVID-19 era. We conducted 30 interviews with some Iranian residents. Data is analyzed by thematic analysis via MAXQDA software. Residents perceived negative health impacts through COVID-19 outbreaks as containing three subthemes including general negative impacts, direct negative impacts, and indirect negative impacts. The results also show that residents use two coping strategies to face these negative health impacts, namely negative coping strategies and positive coping strategies. Perceived negative health impacts, and residents’ coping strategies are two major themes regarding Iranian residents’ perception toward tourism negative health impacts through COVID-19 outbreaks.

Introduction

Residents can be affected by tourism in some ways. Although research has mostly highlighted the social, economic and environmental effect of tourism development on residents (e.g. Ganji et al., 2020 ; Gholami et al., 2019 ; Kafashpor et al., 2018 ), a few studies address the health impact (e.g. Godovykh and Ridderstaat, 2020 ). Previous literature has mostly highlighted the link of tourism and health in terms of health problems in travelers, and the medical consideration of travel planning (e.g. Flaherty et al., 2017 ; Packham, 1995 ; Van Aalst et al., 2018 ). In contrast, there are few studies that consider the health impacts of travelers on the community (e.g. Bauer, 1999 , 2008 ). They address some direct impacts of tourism on residents including the danger of disease transmission as well as the danger of accidents. In terms of indirect effects, they highlighted the possible indirect impact of economic, social and cultural effect of tourism on community well-being and health. For example, the negative potential environmental effects of tourists on pollution of nature may endanger locals’ health ( Bauer, 2008 ). To measure the potential health effects of tourists on residents’ health, we conducted a qualitative survey in Iran during the COVID 19 outbreaks.

Due to infectious disease outbreaks, like COVID 19, the effect of tourists on locals’ health seems to be of importance. In this regard, movement and travelling may be one of the causal factors of speed of the infectious disease spread through countries, affecting both tourists and residents’ health. Consequently, travel limitation and border restrictions were considered in numerous nations to control the spread of virus ( Habes et al., 2020 ; Qiu et al., 2020 ). In the case of COVID 19, to decrease the spread rate of disease, most countries have considered border restrictions, and encouraged or even forced their citizens to decrease social contact and cancel travel. However, the previous studies are mainly focused on both the positive and negative health impact of tourists on the residential community in the normal period of time ( Bauer, 2008 ), but the negative health impacts of tourism may be aggravated in times of crisis and disaster ( Qiu et al., 2020 ). Thus, emphasizing the negative health impact of tourists through a crisis and pandemic may be valuable. Moreover, the effect of epidemics on tourism, specifically tourists, has generally been investigated by statistical methods (e.g. Kuo et al., 2008 ). A qualitative survey may offer more deep information on this topic.

It is obvious that the infectious disease also causes an extensive extent of health problems ( Xiong et al., 2020 ). The features of irregularity, ambiguity, the seriousness of the virus, propaganda, and social distancing may certainly result in strain and psychological problems like anxiety and depression ( Rajkumar, 2020 ). Facing and controlling these potential stress and psychological consequences of contagious diseases enforces a remarkable issue to the global population. The study on coping strategies seems to be an important outline to realize the danger and preventive aspects of psychological health problems. There are several quantitative studies focusing on coping strategies of different group of peoples through COVID-19 outbreaks (e.g. Dullius et al., 2021 ; Hidalgo-Andrade et al., 2021 ; Vally, 2020 ). However, to address these coping strategies deeply, qualitative studies are recommended by authors ( Fluharty and Fancourt, 2021 ).

This research contributes to the risk theory and crisis management knowledge in some ways. While some research has considered the impact of crises on tourism (e.g. Hajibaba et al., 2015 ; Pine and McKercher, 2004 ; Rosselló et al., 2017 ; Solarin, 2016 ), only a few investigations have been done on the way tourists may intensify crisis events and have negative health impacts on the residents (e.g. Qiu et al., 2020 ; Ritchie, 2008 ). Moreover, most of the previous studies were based on proposing a conceptual framework based on previous literature, and not specifically rooting their conclusion based on conducting an empirical survey. Thus, the negative health impacts or health risks perceived by residents from tourists through a qualitative empirical study should be valuable and help policymakers to suggest useful solution to manage and remedy these negative health consequences during and after the pandemic. Thus, to measure the potential negative health effects of tourists on residents’ health through COVID-19 outbreaks, we conducted a qualitative survey in Iran to understand the perception of Iranian residents about the negative health impact of tourism and their coping strategy when faced with this risk perception during COVID-19 outbreaks.

Literature review

The impact of tourism industry on residents.

The tourism sector has experienced solid development and has become one of the main and extremely flourishing industries ( Ozturk et al., 2015 ). Tourism can be considered as a multi-purpose component which influences local residents ( Kafashpor et al., 2018 ). Tourism industry development could influence residents both negatively and positively. Although researchers mostly considered the positive influence of tourism development with economic, socio-cultural, and environmental effects on local residents, it is barely believable that all the fruits of the tourism industry can be considered beneficial. For instance, the tourism industry promotes the city and the society’s facilities but also may cause pollution ( Rivera et al., 2015 ). Most of the current studies just consider four aspects of tourism development including, social impact, economic impact, environmental impact and cultural impact on residents’ life (e.g. Ganji et al., 2020 ; Gnji et al., 2017 ; Kafashpor et al., 2018 ). However, due to the influx of the infectious disease by tourists, it is essential to investigate another aspect of tourism impact known as a health impact which is not deeply investigated through current research.

Dispersion of Infectious Diseases by the Tourism Industry

The movement of contagious virus by tourists is a key feature of travel. Travelers are not only in danger to get new infections, but also, they spread microbes and virus in the host area ( Rodriguez-Garcia, 2001 ; Wilson, 1997 ). Travelling may boost the spread of contagious diseases like SARS, swine flu, and Ebola virus ( Ala’a and Albattat, 2019 ). Richter (2003) indicated that the occurrence or return of infectious diseases is amongst the consequence of global tourism and movement. At the same time, there is rising concern about the advent of unknown diseases, intensification in resistance and creating genetic exchange among infectious viruses and microbes, which makes the cure of an emergent diseases so difficult ( Goldsmith, 1998 ; Moennig, 1992 ). Several of the diseases most frequently associated with tourism are Malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis A, B, and C and so on ( Gössling, 2002 ). Specifically, the SARS (2003) provoked lots of scholars to investigate its concerned effects and responses to contagious respiratory diseases (e.g. Page et al., 1994 ).

There are few studies considered health impacts of travelers on the community (e.g. Bauer, 1999 , 2008 ). However, there seems to be remarkably insufficient surveys on the effect of diseases caused by travelers to native residents. Such residents are undoubtedly exposed to possible death and disability because of accidents, violence and injuries brought by tourism, and they have to suffer from the results of unfavorable behaviors including those involved to sex tourists ( Gössling, 2002 ). Specifically, those residents working in tourism and hospitality industry including restaurants, hotels, airlines may be more affected by the negative health impacts of tourism. Richter (2003) investigated the effect of international tourism on global public health, discussing the increasing threat from infectious diseases and intensifying public health risks related to international tourism to tourists, host societies and the tourists’ home countries. Amongst limited research on the health impacts of tourists on residents, Bauer (2008) provided a review paper recognized two categories of direct (accident, transmission of diseases, workplace health) and indirect health impact (financial, ecological, socio-cultural and political health impact), focusing on both positive and negative health impacts. For example, the negative potential environmental effects of tourists on pollution of nature may endanger locals’ health ( Bauer, 2008 ).

Residents perceived health impact and tourism during a crisis

Researchers’ discussions on tourism and crises show two major contexts of risk theory and crisis management. Studies on the risk perception related to tourism have mostly concentrated on the tourists' points of view instead of focusing on the residents’ perspectives ( Qiu et al., 2020 ). Risk, health and safety concerns have been commonly investigated from the travelers’ points of view, looking for verifying why tourists perceive risks differently due to demographic differences and what factors (like illness, previous experience, etc.) affect such perceptions (e.g. Gossling et al., 2012 ). Travelers-related risks are shown to be those related to terrorism, war, uncertainty or health issues ( Qiu et al., 2020 ). Eitzinger and Wiedemann (2007) highlighted the key role of investigating the risks perceived by locals, as their perceptions are formed by their special experiences, which vary from travelers’ perception. However, there are a few empirical studies considering the perception of risk from residents’ perspective (e.g. Qiu et al., 2020 ).

The effect of crises on the tourism sector has been a critical topic in previous literature. Most of the research has concentrated on the effect of different crises (e.g. Hajibaba et al., 2015 ), including different infectious disease ( Pine and McKercher, 2004 ; Rosselló et al., 2017 ), financial crisis ( Solarin, 2016 ) and terrorism ( Parida et al., 2015 ), on tourism demand. However, according to the Ritchie and Jiang (2019) literature review through crisis management, absence of inclusive theoretical and practical research of the impact of crises on the tourism sector was recognized. Several authors have also suggested that tourism crisis management would reflect the residents' side as well (e.g. Lukashina et al., 1996 ; Qiu et al., 2020 ). However, several surveys have examined the effect of crises on travelers (e.g. Cafiso et al., 2018 ; Rosselló et al., 2017 ), a few studies have investigated how tourists may affect crisis and have negative impact on the destination locals (e.g. Ritchie, 2008; Qiu et al., 2020 ).

Thus, to fill these gaps, the current study seeks to investigate the residents’ perception of the health impact of tourism (as one important risk perception issue) and their coping to remedy the health risk they perceived through the COVID-19 crisis.

Coping strategies to face the perceived health risk

Most of the studies related to coping strategies were quantitative research. Dullius et al. (2021) through their literature review study showed that the major coping strategies of health professionals against COVID-19 were supporting their family and relatives, colleagues, organizations, having access to continuing education and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), religious belief, and doing hobbies. Vally (2020) reported more precautionary activities among patients with postsecondary education having chronic disease. Hidalgo-Andrade et al. (2021) also showed that seeking social support, exercising, and engaging in leisure activities are the most applicable coping strategies to face with stress related to online teaching. Fluharty and Fancourt (2021) in their quantitative studies investigated the predictors of different copping strategies including problem solving based coping strategies (coping actively and use of planning), emotional based coping strategies (positive reframing, approval, humor, belief), avoidant coping (behavioral disorder, disavowal, substance use), and socially supported coping (emotional or instrumental support, and escaping). Girma et al. (2021) investigated the relationship between coping strategies of adults with chronic disease and Covid-19 related stress and showed that active coping, refusal, behavioral disorder, self-blame and belief coping strategies positively predicted the COVID-19-related stress score. According to their study, just the acceptance coping methods negatively affected the stress mark of the patients. Chew et al. (2020) reviewed psychological answer and coping strategies through previous outbreaks of contagious diseases, including Ebola and H1N1. They explained two major strategies including problem-oriented strategies (including finding replacement, self-protection activities and other-protection activities), and emotional based coping methods (avoidance and disavowal, social support, and positive reassessment of the condition). They showed that the coping methods differed in diverse epidemics, the problem-oriented methods are more relying on predicting better adjustment in manageable circumstances, while emotion-oriented methods would be preferred in unpredictable circumstances.

In hospitality literature, the vast range of exiting studies on crisis management and coping strategies concentrated on the macro-level, including a destination, a sector of the industry or a specific organization (e.g. Prayag, 2018 ; Faisal et al., 2020 ; Radic et al., 2020 ; Smart et al., 2021 ). For example, Smart et al., (2021) conducted the study in organization level, retrieving copping strategies through lodging industry, including day to day operation strategies and health and safety measures to marketing, human resources and cost-saving strategies. Thus, there is a lack of studies on copping strategies at the individual level in tourism industry. Thus, to fill this gap, we aim to conduct a qualitative research to investigate copping strategies in individual level, specifically copping strategies of residents who are exposed to tourists.

Research methodology

Research design.

Qualitative research methods were used to gather data. Qualitative surveys seek to go beyond statistics to offer an investigator an in-depth perception of a phenomenon ( Toubes et al., 2021 ). Nunkoosing (2005) highlighted the implications of the interview in the role of a data collection method permitting individuals to think and to speak about their dilemmas, desirers, hopes, feelings, perceptions, and experiences. In contrast to quantitative research, where the research reveals the investigator’s matters, in interviews, the key attention is on the viewpoints of the interviewee ( Bryman, 2012 ). So, qualitative research and semi-structured interviews were used in this study because such a methodology allowed us to gain realistic and deep information by leaving respondents free to explore their experiences ( Halperin and Heath, 2017 ).

The interview protocol was sent to each interviewee several days before the interview session was started to ensure the familiarity of the interviewee with the purpose of the interview and questions. This may lead to more precise answers and decrease the stress of the interviewer. The interview protocol contained three parts. In the first part, the goal of the research was explained. Moreover, in this part the author emphasized that the privacy of the respondents would be of great importance to the researchers, and that it was not needed to mentioned their name and personal information, and emphasized the use of the interviews just for a scientific purpose. In this section, we requested for the recording of the interview and check the availability of the respondents for more contacts. The second section contained five demographic questions with regards to respondents’ age, gender, education, city of residency, and their jobs. The third part contained six open-ended questions associated with the purpose of the study. Thus, considering the two research questions, the interview was designed based on previous literature to address the negative health impact of tourists travelling through COVID-19, and the residents coping strategies to face this perceived risk. According to negative health impact, some direct and indirect health impacts proposed from literature (e.g. Bauer, 1999 , 2008 ) were considered. Thus, for instance the question “How tourism affected your quality of life and health during COVID-19 outbreaks”, “How tourists directly or indirectly affect your health during COVID-19 outbreaks?” were asked. The second section of the interview protocol was related to individual coping strategies to remedy the negative health impacts. In line with this, questions like ‘How do you cope with these negative health impacts personally” and “how do you control your negative feelings and stress related to COVID-19 outbreaks” were asked.

Throughout the interview session, we benefited from some expert interviewers. After greeting, the interviewer explains the research protocol in respect of the goal of the survey and privacy issues, as well as to gain permission to record the interview or not. Moreover, the availability of the interviewees for further contact was asked. The interviewers also tried to ensure intimacy and privacy issues throughout the interviews. In many cases, more related questions based on interviewees' answers were asked to ensure all aspects of the subject were covered.

Research context and sampling

According to pathogen-stress theory, culture may have an effect on personal behaviors regards to infectious disease. Thus, we selected one country, Iran, to do this research. For example, Iran has a collectivism culture, leading it to have a lower rate of infections. The reason is that, firstly, collectivists consider a great deal of weight on their in-group, caring for one another and thus protecting each other from the negative impacts of contagion ( Fincher and Thornhill, 2008 ). Secondly, collectivist cultures are untrusting of individuals outside of their in-group, which can be considered as a protective behavior ( Sherman and Billing, 1999 ). These cultaure may also affect the attitude and behaviors of Iranian permanent residents regards to tourists visiting through infectious disease outbreak.

Iran (Persia), with the capital of Tehran, is a country in Western Asia. It has common borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the north, with Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east, with Oman in the south, and in the west with Turkey and Iraq ( Figure 1 ). The population of Iran is estimated to be 83 million, and covers an area of 1,648,195 km 2 . Iran is the sixth-largest country in Asia. The most popular tourist destinations are Tehran, Isfahan, Khorasan, Yazd, and Fars province. According to the World Bank, Iran tourism sector with 4.9 million international tourists in 2016 has constituted 7.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Moreover, domestic tourism in Iran is one of the largest in the world. For example, in the first quarter of the Iranian year in 2016, about 75 million domestic travels were reported throughout Iranian cities. Moreover, health tourism (estimated 11 million medical tourists in 2017) and religious tourism are the most popular due to the low costs and high quality healthcare system as well as some popular religious sites located in Mashhad and Qom ( Center for Economic Research and Studies report, 2019 ; ILIA corporation, 2021 ).

The geographical location of Iran: the context of study.

On 31 December 2019, a series of unexplained pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 revealed a much more severe effect than former pandemics, mainly in terms of affected areas and the number of affected population. For example, SARS cases were identified through 27 countries caused 774 deaths out of 8096 infected cases ( WHO, 2004 ). This is in comparison with COVID-19 which affected over 102.1 million people and over 2.2 million deaths through more than 200 countries ( WHO, 2021 ). In the case of Iran, up to 19 September 2021, it recorded 5,408,860 corona virus cases and 116,791 deaths related to COVID-19 outbreaks ( WHO, 2021 ). To decrease the spread rate of infection, Iranian officials have canceled Friday prayers, locked down schools and universities, closed malls, marketplaces, and holy mosques, and banned festival celebrations. Although the government of Iran encouraged people to stay at home and not to travel, several Iranian people did engage in urban tourism. Moreover, international tourists still come to Iran from some infected countries. Accordingly, the hospitality industry in Iran has suffered heavy losses. According to Hotel News, the head of the country’s hoteliers' association has announced that by the end of 7 July4,000 billion Rials of damage has been inflicted on the hotel industry (Hotel News Web site, 1399). According to the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, in the first 5 months of the outbreak of COVID 19, the damage equivalent to 118 thousand billion Rials has been caused to the tourism industry ( Hassanpour et al., 2020 ).

The research population of this study was the Iranian citizens who are being exposed to tourists through COVID-19 outbreaks. In the current research, we gathered data from semi-structured interviews. Accordingly, six interviewers conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with locals to extract different dimensions of negative health impacts of tourism through COVID-19 outbreaks as well as the residents coping strategies. Due to COVID-19 infection risk, interviews were done via phone call and Skype, using the heterogeneous purposive sampling focusing on maximum variation of sample ( Saunders, 2012 ). To ensure the maximum variation of the sample, heterogeneity was highlighted in respect of measures like sexual category, occupation, age, level of education and place of residence. The first criteria to provide the sample are that the interviewees should be exposed to tourists to realize the risk of tourists through COVID-19 outbreaks. To consider the right participants, (1) the individuals who confirmed their relevancy by checking their social media profiles, (2) people whom the researchers knew through their surroundings and (3) snowballing from earlier interviewees were looked up. Based on previous research (e.g. Saunders, 2012 ) the sample size between 12 to 30 participants for qualitative study is considered as appropriate to clarify the phenomenon of the study. The sample size was considered as 30, which is the higher limit. To reach this sample size, we contacted approximately 80 people, checked via telephone or social media message if they fulfilled the eligibility requirement or not and if they wanted to participate in the survey or not. As the tourism supply and demand may associate with the rate of research results, we select interviewees from cities with popular historical, natural or religious sites including Isfahan, Yazd, Gilan, Ghom and Mashhad. As a criterion for inclusion in this survey, the questions such as“Have you been exposed to tourists due to your work or your house location, etc.? were asked. Those who answered “No” to the question were excluded from survey. Interviews were conducted from 1 st November to 24 November 2020. They took about 25 min on average. Table 1 shows the interviewees demographic characteristics.

Interviewees demographics.

Data analysis

Related literature reviewed by the authors was used to design questions to understand how participants perceived the negative health impact of tourism during COVID-19 outbreaks, as well as coping strategies they adopted for coping with them. To analyze data, we used thematic analysis via MAXQDA 2020. Data gathered from the interviews were coded thematically to extract themes and sub-themes derived from the research purposes ( Walters, 2016 ). We derived codes by carefully line-by-line reading of each interview, using both inductive and deductive coding proposed by Samarasekara et al. (2011) . To ensure the credibility of the qualitative research, each researcher read interview transcript several times, separately analyzed the data and extracted codes independently ( Braun and Clarke, 2006 ). The transcribed draft was read and reread repeatedly to realize total mood and emotions of interviewees ( Walls et al., 2011 ). Moreover, it was analyzed by unraveling the main themes, sub-themes and codes associating with these themes ( Ho et al., 2017 ). Firstly, an inductive approach as a data-driven method was used for coding so that original information that appeared was not ignored due to pre-existing information ( Azungah, 2018 ), bring opportunities to acquired precious details that arise from the data ( Samarasekara et al., 2011 ). To recognize sub-themes, we did the coding process frequently, considering likeness and variances. In the second stage, deductive coding, the codes produced were compared with present studies ( Shaheer et al., 2021 ). In this stage of the coding procedure, themes acknowledged in previous research were cross-checked for phrasing and their explanation to retain consistency ( Nagai et al., 2018 ). Finally, any differences in coding provided by each researcher were discussed and updated to set the associations among the themes and sub-themes.

To ensure research reliability and validity, we adopted the Lincoln and Guba (1985) framework of qualitative research creditability measuring by three elements of truth value, consistency and applicability. To increase truth value of the study, audio recorded interviews were used. This made it possible for frequent listening of the data to investigate evolving themes. Moreover, all participants were asked to comment on the research results and make judgements about either the final themes are true based on their interview or not, and14 respondents accepted to participate in this regard. To ensure consistency and achieving auditability, the authors try to provide the clear explanations of the research process ( Noble and Smith, 2015 ). Moreover, data were analyzed with all of the research teams’ members separately, and finally emerging themes were discussed. To increase the application of results to other settings, rich detail of settings was provided by the authors through the paper.

According to interview analysis, we found two main themes, namely negative health impacts and strategies for coping with these impacts. Table 2 shows derived themes, sub-themes and related codes.

Themes, sub-themes and codes.

The explanations for each theme and sub-theme are provided as follow:

Negative health impacts

The first major theme revealed from interviews is negative health impact. This contains three sub-theme of general negative health impacts, indirect negative health impacts and direct negative health impacts. Using MAXQDA tools, the hierarchical codes for each themes provide.

General health impacts

As shown in Figure 2 , similar to other research related to the health impact of tourism, residents consider accidents and transmission of disease as two important general health issues related to tourism (e.g. Bauer, 2008 ). The feature of general health impact is that they are not specifically related to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Hierarchical codes of general health impact.

Due to the influx of tourism, disease is transmitted to the locals from the tourists. For example, respiratory infections may increase due to transmission of tourists’ colds and sore throats to local communities. Moreover, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and gastrointestinal infections including bacterial, viral or parasitic could be transmited from visitors to residents. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

Tourists cause transition of disease from one city or country to another, for example infectious disease can transmit from international tourists to Iran.

Local residents may also be damaged in accidents as a result of dangerous driving by careless tourists. The reason is that tourists are unfamiliar with road conditions. Moreover, carelessness and consumption of narcotic drugs and alcohol while driving can cause death or hurt residents. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

There are lots of accidents in this area of the city as tourists confuse the road and drive on the wrong side of the street.

Direct health impacts

Direct health impact refers to health impacts of tourism directly related to COVID- 19 outbreaks. Based on Figure 3 , It contains the effect of COVID-19 on residents both psychological and physical health.

Hierarchical codes of direct health impact.

In terms of physical impact of tourism, residents highlighted COVID-19 transmission from infected tourists to residents. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

COVID-19 may be transmitted from tourists to residents and may affect residents’ life directly and indirectly, resulting in death. It will be more dangerous and threatening for some vulnerable citizens like old ones or residents with some contextual diseases.

Another important example which interviewees mentioned is that tourism providers, hospitality workers like those working in restaurants are more infected due to the increasing rate of infected people. Residents also mentioned that due to a large number of tourists, the accessibility of residents to sanitary facilities and masks may be limited and cause increasing transmission of COVD-19.

Another negative health impact of the tourism in flux during COVID-19 outbreaks is related to increased anxiety and violence as two important psychological negative impacts of being under pressure and stress of infection. Moreover, residents feel less psychologically well. Residents feel more stress, distress and anxiety and depression specifically when their work is related to tourists and patients, like working in hotels or restaurants. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

I work in hotel, and due to increased rate of tourists now, I have a high level of pressure and stress related to being infected and infect my family. As I am always in a danger of being infected, I always have a fear which affects my quality of life.

Indirect health impacts

Indirect health impacts are not directly related to tourists. These kinds of health impacts occur in consequence of being infected by COVID-19 or increased risk of being infected due to different reasons including influx of tourists. In this regard, two sub-themes were recognized in this research: health problems related to self-isolation and quarantine as well as health problems related to social distancing ( Figure 4 ).

Hierarchical codes of indirect health impact.

Results show that self-isolation has influenced common routines of the public that could cause an increase in loneliness, anxiety, domestic violence, insomnia, stress, depression, homicide and suicide as well as obesity. For example, one of the interviewees stated:

As I have to stay at home for a long time without any entertainment to be amused with, I sometimes feel depressed. We are mostly locked down in our home and feel a sense of anxiety because of this situation. Even if we stay home, we all the time think about COVID-19, we always read disastrous news in social media. It is so stressful.

Another interviewee who was in quarantine for 2 weeks as he was infected states:

It was the worst time of my life. I even could not communicate with my family members. The fear of death was all the time with me. I was so anxious and depressed on that time. Now, although those days finished up, I yet have a feel of fear and anxiety when I think about that period.

Moreover, some health problems derived from social distancing may be increased due to more outbreaks of COVID-19. As an impact of COVID-19, people may show some extent of social fear and social isolation. In this regard, they have to decrease their connection with others, leading them to a feeling of loneliness. They also show a sense of fear to interact with other people. The sense of guilt to be in contact with other people and the sense of anxiety were also reported by interviewees as they think they may infect others.

Coping Strategies

The second theme derived from thematic analysis is coping strategies of residents to reduce these general, direct and indirect negative impacts. We recognized two strategies including positive coping strategies and negative coping strategies.

Positive coping strategies

Positive copping strategies are those useful and effective activities which applied with people to release COVID-19 negative feelings that do not harm themselves or other people. As shown in Figure 5 , Positive coping strategies are including some precautionary activities and stress release activities.

Hierarchical codes of positive coping strategies.

According to doing precautionary activities, some of interviewees highlighted that they try to decrease health problems of tourists by being committed to hygiene protocols and doing social distancing. Overall, the interviewees highlighted washing hands, wearing masks and doing personal hygiene in the workplace and social distancing as some important precautionary activities. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

As I am always being in contact with tourists, I try to wear two masks as it more likely avoids being infected. Moreover, using sanitation liquid is so important to protect yourself against COVID-19. We also try to ask visitors to use mask in hotel lobby.

According to doing stress release activities, interviewees also highlight exercise, doing hobbies, having religious belief, avoiding being exposed with negative news, and being more supportive of family and relatives. They believe that these activities may enhance their immune system. They mentioned that speaking with their relatives by phone and on face-to-face online platforms makes them feel more relaxed. Some participants mentioned that they cautiously neglect negative news to decrease their stress. For example:

As a way to release my tensions I always try not to be exposed to negative news released from media. They are so terrible news. Most of them are related to COVID-19 high rate of death in Iran which makes people so exhausted.

Moreover, as an Islamic country, most of the interviewees mentioned spirituality and praying as an important stress releaser which help them to cope with COVID-19 stress.

Negative coping strategies

We defined negative copping strategies as harmful activities which applied with people to release COVID-19 negative feelings that harm themselves or other people in a psychological or physical way. Residents also may have engaged with negative coping strategies to reduce the negative health impact of COVID-19. We distinguished three types of negative coping strategies including obsessive-compulsive behaviors, travel anxiety and harmful and negative behavior ( Figure 6 ).

Hierarchical codes of negative coping strategies.

Obsessive-compulsive behaviors

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered as a psychological disorder which is mainly diagnosed in accordance with the attendance of obsessions and/or compulsions ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Obsessions have been considered as repeated and insistent opinion, urges, or dreams that are felt as invasive and undesirable. Compulsions are also defined as a repetitive behaviors or psychic acts which individual experiences have driven to perform in return for an obsession or in line with rules that need to apply strictly ( Lack & McMillan, 2015 ). Obsessive and compulsive only become a concern once they are performed unreasonably, illogically, for irrational deal of time, to an extent that causes substantial suffering to the individual, or once they impede day-to-day life ( Lack, 2013 ). We defined obsessive-compulsive behaviors as a negative coping strategy which is used by an individual repeatedly and unreasonably to cope with COVID-19 risk. This makes individuals realize they are in serious trouble and disturb their living. In this regard, as a coping strategy, they may overemphasize on frequent hand washing, as well as on personal hygiene to protect themselves and their family members from COVID- 19, leading to more stress. For example, one of interviewees mentioned:

I always think my hands are dirty, so I wash them frequently. I think all the surrounding is infected, so I am always busy cleaning everything over and over againto ensure they are clean.

Travel anxiety

Anxiety is a mental worry and strain for the future ( Banerjee, 2020 ) and excessive anxiety may appear as a sign to prevent taking risks ( Smith et al., 2016 ). The COVID-19 outbreak commonly scares people and makes them anxious ( Luo and Lam, 2020 ). We considered travel anxiety as the fear of visiting an unfamiliar place which makes the decision for future travelling problematic. Thus, we categorized the travel anxiety as a negative coping strategy by the individual. A number of interviewees highlighted that they feel some extent of anxiety with regards to travelling, what we term as travel anxiety. In this regard one of interviewees stated:

I feel a fear of travelling. I think travelling is so dangerous and I hate thinking about travelling even after the pandemic. I do not trust news related to Vaccine. I may delay travelling till the certain cure is discovered.

Harmful and negative behavior

The third kind of negative coping strategy contains using harmful drugs and alcohol, being inhospitable to tourists, as well as showing violence. These behaviors are amongst negative coping strategies to decrease the negative impact of COVID-19. For example, one of the interviewees mentioned:

In our city more than 50 people are dead as a result of drinking fake alcohol, as they think drinking decreases infection rate.

In terms of entrance of tourists, residents always think they are not respected as tourists endangered locals’ health so being inhospitable is another negative reaction of residents. Additionally, online and physical violence may be increased as people may reduce their anxiety by using rude voice in social media or in contact with their family members or in public.

Discussion and conclusion

This research investigates the negative impacts of tourism for residents’ health. We conducted 30 interviews, analyzing with thematic analysis. According to interview analysis, we found two main themes, namely negative health impacts (general health impacts, direct health impacts, indirect health impacts) and strategies for coping with these impacts (negative coping strategies, positive coping strategies).

There are limited studies which extract residents’ perception towards negative health impacts of tourists. However, our results are similar to this limited research. For example, similar to Bauer (2008) and Bauer (1999) , residents consider accidents and transmission of disease as two important general health issues related to tourism. In terms of transmission of disease, pathogen-stress theory ( Fincher and Thornhill, 2017 ) explain that the infection risks related to the openness of human contact and the increased contact with different group of people involves with more risk of human-to-human transmission. Bauer (2008) explained that Due to the influx of tourism, disease like respiratory infections, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and gastrointestinal infections may be transmitted to the locals from the tourists. Bauer (1999 , 2008) also explained that locals may also be damaged in accidents because of the dangerous driving by tourists. Accordingly, Page et al., (1994) reported that 1.1% of 785 British tourists surveyed in Malta in 1993 experienced an accident, with slightly upper representation among 20–30 years old tourists.

However, some of health impacts represented in this research were not directly discussed in traditional tourism literature, as these negative residents’ health impacts are directly related to COVID-19 outbreaks, known in the present research as direct negative health impacts. Accordingly, we recognized two sub-themes of physical impacts and psychological impacts which are directly related to COVID-19 outbreak. In Iranian community, Ahmadi et al., (2022) extracted different experience and challenges of patients infected by COVID 19, including physical health disorders and mental problems. To psychological effects, Bäuerle et al. (2020) conducted a research in Germany, showing increased nervousness, unhappiness and anxiety during COVID-19. Tee et al. (2020) also mentioned increased extent of depression, anxiety and stress of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. In Iranian community, Mohammadi et al. (2020) conducted a research showing that patients were gaining more score through Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) than general population.

We also recognized indirect health impacts which are not directly related to tourists. We defined them as health impacts that occur as a consequence of being infected by COVID-19 or increased risk of being infected due to different reasons including influx of tourists, containing two sub-themes of health problems related to self-isolation and quarantine as well as health problems related to social distancing. These effects are also among the new ones in tourism literature, however some researchers quantitatively investigated it in the context of public health. Coughenour et al. (2020) reported worse depression students’ scores after the stay-at-home order during COVID-19 outbreaks. Moreover, we found that being in lockdown at home has caused a rise in domestic violence. With regard to the health impact of being in lockdown at home, some researchers showed an increased amount of anxiety and violence due to social distance (e.g. Usher et al., 2020 ).

In terms of coping strategies of residents to reduce these general, direct and indirect negative impacts, we identified two strategies including positive coping strategies (precautionary activities stress release activities), and negative coping strategies (obsessive-compulsive behaviors, travel anxiety, and harmful and negative behavior). The current survey is similar to Vally (2020) , Dullius et al. (2021) , Hidalgo-Andrade et al. (2021) , Fluharty and Fancourt (2021) and Girma et al. (2021) studies. For example, Dullius et al. (2021) showed that the key coping strategies of health experts against COVID-19 were being supported from family and relatives, colleagues, organizations, etc., religious belief, and doing hobbies. Hidalgo-Andrade et al. (2021) also showed being socially supported, doing exercise, and taking part in recreational activities are the most applicable coping strategies when faced with stress related to online teaching. Moreover, as mentioned by Chew et al. (2020) , as the knowledge about COVID-19 outbreaks were limited at the time of gathering this data, the most coping strategies which mentioned by participants are amongst emotional-focused strategies. Luo and Lam (2020) showed that fear of COVID-19 positively influences travel anxiety. Moreover, based on pathogen-stress theory, once individuals mature in a parasite-infested context, they become not as much of open to tourists, less interested, less exploratory to decrease the risk of infection ( Rahman et al., 2021 ), leading to being less contributing to learning, openness, and tolerance ( Fincher and Thornhill, 2017 ).

This study aims to explain the negative health effect of tourism through COVID-19 outbreaks and residents coping strategies. In this regard, we interviewed 30 Iranian citizens, and asked for their perception about negative health impacts of tourism and their coping strategies through COVID-19 outbreaks. The result of this study show that negative health impacts of tourism may be categorized as the general negative impacts, direct health impact and indirect health impacts. Moreover, to cope with these negative impacts, residents use some negative and positive coping strategies.

Theoretical and practical implications

This research concentrates on a qualitative analysis of the negative health impact of tourism through COVID-19 outbreaks and residents' coping strategies in this regard. This research contributes to the stakeholders’ theory, risk theory and crisis management in the tourism context. However, although previous research has considered residents as one of the key stakeholders, they rarely consider residents’ risk perception related to health impact of tourists and its effect on their behavior. Moreover, this research contributes to the risk theories and crisis management literature as it is amongst a few investigations that focus on the way tourists may intensify crisis events and have negative health impact on the residents (e.g. Qiu et al., 2020 ; Ritchie, 2008 ). Moreover, most studies in crisis management through tourism industry were conducted in macro-level, needed to be improved by micro-level or individual level analysis. Accordingly, the current study by investigating the individual coping strategies of residents who were exposed to tourists enriches the crisis management literature in hospitality sector.

In terms of practical contribution, we highlighted the negative physical and psychological effect of tourist entrance. These effects may be underestimated if we just consider them by new infected cases, as its health effect is more than just physical effects. However, an increased number of countries conducted border restriction, and travel bans, these limitations are not strict in Iran. This research shows that the lack of strict preventive strategies may cause severe physical and psychological effects in public. Moreover, we showed that perceiving the negative health impact of tourism through COVID-19 outbreaks may influence residents’ behavior negatively, by being inhospitable to tourists, feeling travel anxiety, online violence, etc. Moreover, the current research is among the few surveys analyzing the coping strategies of residents through COVID-19.

Due to these findings, in terms of crisis management, it seems that authorities and government should pay more attention to residents as an important stakeholder. Moreover, media have a great role to spread the right information with regards to COVID-19 prevention methods and coping strategies to decrease the public pressure. Using webcam-travel as recommended by Jarratt (2020) is a new approach which can be replaced traditional travels through pandemics.

Thanks to vaccination, we hope to shift from epidemic to endemic. However, the epidemic of COVID-19 may bring some valuable insights for future possible crisis management. For example, based on our research results, through infectious disease, tourist entrance may impose the residents a huge psychological pressure. Thus, to control the outbreaks of virus, governments should enforce stricter travel laws and conduct more control on international and national travels. Moreover, 14 days’ quarantine of international travelers in hotels, by their own cost, as some other countries do is so applicable. Use of thermometry and virus diagnose tests in the entrance of cities, airports, and so on may increase the diagnose rate of disease and decrease the disease transmission. However, decrease in travel may put a great burden to the tourism industry especially hotels. The government can provide some subsides to tourism providers to encourage them to provide a safe environment and survive through pandemic as recommended by Hemmington and Neill (2021) . The spread of vaccination and availability of confirmed vaccine through all over the world is needed to cope with such a huge pandemic like COVID-19. Some strategies may be considered as a post-epidemic strategy to remedy the negative psychological impacts of the epidemic on residents. Residents are so important in terms of being hospitable and support of tourism industry, paying attention to their psychological needs and offering free psychological consultant to them may be a good strategy to remedy these negative health impacts.

Limitations and further research direction

There are several limitations in this study. Firstly, although we tried to ask residents about their perceived negative health effects and their coping strategies related to tourists during a global pandemic, some of the responses might be derived from effects outside of tourism. For example, indirect health impacts are not definitely derived from tourists, however tourists are one cause factor. Secondly, our research is a qualitative study, focusing on negative health impacts and coping strategies which residents considered due to entrance of tourists through COVID-19. Other researchers may focus on related statistics or conduct quantitative research on the proposed model and factors. One of the limitations mentioned for qualitative studies is the limitation of generalization. To increase the applicability of the study the researcher tries to explain the study context ( Lack, 2013 ). Moreover, further researchers may concentrate on the impact of each coping strategy on health impact amongst different groups of people. We just considered the residents perceived negative health impact through this study. Other researchers can extract residents’ risk perceptions through COVID-19 outbreak as a whole and extract antecedents and outcomes of perceived health impacts or residents risk perception of tourism. Moreover, as we conducted qualitative research, doing a quantitative research on the relationship between negative health impacts and copping strategies may lead to valuable findings.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Author Biographies

Seyedeh Fatemeh Ghasempour Ganji is a Ph.D. student in Human Resource Management at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and then she continued her education with a Master’s degree in Marketing Management at Alzahra University in Tehran. Her research interests include sustainable tourism development and place branding, with a specific concentration on the role of locals in developing countries' tourism development. She published her article in some high-ranked journals including The Current Issues in Tourism, and Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research.

Lester Johnson is a Professor of Marketing at Swinburne Business School. Prior to coming to Swinburne in early 2014, he was at Melbourne Business School, Mt Eliza Business School, the University of Sydney, Bond University, and Macquarie University in a career in Australia going back to 1975. He has published more than 200 papers in areas of research such as Marketing and Tourism in several recognized journals such as the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Current Issues in Tourism, International Marketing Review, Journal of Services Marketing, and the European Journal of Sustainable Development among others.

Ali Kazemi is a Ph.D. in international marketing. He is very interested in pursuing issues in international trade and marketing both academically and practically. That is why I try to strike a balance between academia and industry. along writing research papers, I pass international vocational courses like FIATA, UCP 600, and Incoterms 2020 among others.

Samaneh Sadeghian finished her Ph.D. degree from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Her research interests include tourism marketing and tourism development. Dr. Sadeghian has published papers in journals such as the Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, and the European Journal of Sustainable Development among others.

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Availability of data and materials: Data will not share. For having this data, please contact S. Fatemeh Ghasempour Ganji at [email protected]

Seyedeh Fatemeh Ghasempour Ganji https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4401-1209

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From the Last Decade, India has increased travel and tourism by over 10 million. The Indian travel and tourism industry is prospering enormously. It contributed 7.3% to India’s total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2021. And it also provided 90 million jobs to the people.

But, we are relatively far behind several other small countries like  Singapore  and  Hong Kong . This study will help you with more knowledge about the struggles and difficulties alongside the deep prospects of the Indian tourism industry.

“Challenges & Problems Of Indian Tourism”

1. lack of proper infrastructure or foundation.

An established framework of the foundation includes lots of elements. Proper transportation facilities, health facilities, stability. Also, uninterrupted connectivity and other human resources are mandatory for enduring tourism. 

India is positioned 48th in the ICT readiness component . And India also has 34th rank in the health and hygiene components of the WEF’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, 2020 . But, this is not a proud moment for us. This mirrors the poor quality of infrastructure in our nation. And the main cause for this is the improper allocation of financial resources for the tourism sector . 

In 2020-21, India has raised the budget for Tourism and travel. India has raised funds of  2026.77 crores  allocated for a prospering and promising sector like tourism. 

2. Human Resources & Planning

Highly skillful and potential men or women hold an inevitable part of the tourism sector . A Huge number of skilled men or women with different levels are required to sustain the growth of our Indian travel and tourism business.   Also, the skill up-gradation of the people already employed is a must.

In the past years, there was an exploding increase in workers for other sectors like banking, engineering, and medicine . Also, this gradually prompted a reduction in the human resources available for the tourism sector. So Currently, there is a high demand for the workforce in both the hospitality and tourism sectors.

3. Insufficient Digital Promotion and Marketing

Grand promotion and suitable digital marketing push are excessively indispensable for a nation’s travel industry improvement. The Digital marketing of the Indian Tourism industry is not to the point yet.

Also, the travel industry has moderately less contrasted with other tourist destinations. In India, the financial banking sector helped the advancement of the travel and tourism businesses.

Currently, India needs a colossal move from conventional marketing techniques. Also, we need a modern approach to marketing in India Tourism.

4. Taxation issues with Indian Tourism

High taxes on the entire production for the airline facilities, hotels, and tour operators . Those are highly expensive. That is the most significant reason for losses to other less expensive countries when it comes to tourism. For instance, consider the price of air tickets. It varies in all 29 states.

5. Security issues

Security is one of the Major Challenges of Indian Tourism. Increasing the rate of Sexual Abuse of women, Theft, Credit Card Fraud . Moreover, Identity Theft, Food Poisoning, Terrorism . Also, Public Violence is affecting Indian Tourism to a high intent. Also, Major Crisis Like COVID-19 highly affects Tourism to get Going.

PROSPECTS OF INDIAN TOURISM

India has a gift with the most prominent diversity in culture . In Addition, geography and art pull in a colossal measure of voyagers to the nation. Different new forms of tourism are offering in recent years are also helping to build up the country’s tourism industry.

Medical tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and cruise tourism have gained tremendous popularity and attention among foreigners . Now and have the potential for high growth shortly. The Himalayas are the greatest assets of India in adventure tourism.

The Tourism industry for India is a beautifully prospering and promising field. Taking sufficient measures to confront the difficulties presented and further enhancing the prospects can guarantee unlimited chances and development of the nation.

Do Check out Our Keynote Courses of Front Office , Housekeeping , Food & Beverage Service , Hotel Law , Food Production and Human Resource Management . Start Reskilling & Upskilling Today. Develop niche skills and make yourself ready for ‘New Normal’. CLICK HERE to know more!

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How these cruise passengers missed boarding, got stranded in Africa

Both Americans and Australians were left at port after an excursion ran long.

After what seemed like a dream trip, several American travelers were left stranded at port in West Africa mid-cruise while traveling from Cape Town, South Africa, to Barcelona, Spain.

Jay and Jill Campbell told ABC News Myrtle Beach affiliate WPDE that they were in the first week of a three week voyage aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines when they stopped just off the coast of West Africa.

The couple and others opted to tour the nearby island of São Tomé and Príncipe on the afternoon of March 27, and when the excursion ran late, they said they brought it to the guides' attention.

"We were like, 'our time is getting short,'" Jay Campbell recalled, at which point he said the guide let them know, "'No problem we can get you back in an hour.'"

Upon their return, the passengers said cruise officials refused to let them aboard the ship, even as the local Coast Guard had ferried the group to the anchored vessel.

"The harbormaster tried to call the ship. The captain refused the call. We sent emails to NCL the customer service emergency number," Jay Campbell said. "They said the only way for us to get in touch with the ship is via email. They're not responding to our emails."

The Campbells say they were left stranded along with four other Americans and two Australians -- of whom one is a paraplegic, one has a heart condition and one is pregnant. Some did not have credit cards or medication that was left on board.

Cruise expert Stewart Chiron, known as The Cruise Guy, told ABC News that "the bottom line was, they were hours late, the ship was ready to go."

MORE: Norwegian Cruise Line passengers claim Antarctica voyage was rerouted mid-trip

"More than likely that the anchor was already up, and the ship was already possibly moving," he said.

He continued, "Any operation at that point to get these passengers back on the ship would have caused tremendous delays, and safety would have been a major concern."

In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said, "On the afternoon of March 27, 2024, while the ship was in São Tomé and Príncipe, an African island nation, eight guests who were on the island on a private tour not organized through us missed the last tender back to the vessel, therefore not meeting the all aboard time of 3 p.m. local time."

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They continued, "While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time, which is communicated broadly over the ship's intercom, in the daily communication and posted just before exiting the vessel."

The spokesperson added that the passports for the passengers who did not return at the all aboard time "were delivered to the local port agents to retrieve when they returned to the port, as per the regular protocol."

"Our team has been working closely with the local authorities to understand the requirements and necessary visas needed for the guests to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call," they said.

The Campbells said that their eight person group spent 15 hours traveling through six countries in an attempt to rejoin the Norwegian Dawn ship in Banjul, Gambia, on April 1. However, the ship couldn't dock due to low tide, so they are now trying to get to Senegal where the ship is meant to dock on Tuesday.

The Norwegian spokesperson said, "Unfortunately the ship was unable to safely dock in the destination due to adverse weather conditions, as well as tidal restrictions that require specific timing for safe passage. While we share in our guests' disappointment, this modification was made with great consideration for their safety and that of our crew, which is our top priority."

The cruise line contacted the guests "regarding this itinerary adjustment and provided them with authorization to rejoin the ship at Dakar, Senegal on April 2, 2024."

In light of the "series of unfortunate events outside of our control," the spokesperson said Norwegian Cruise Lines "will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal" and are still in communication with the guests to provide additional information as it becomes available.

MORE: Meet the cruise couple who have spent over 450 days at sea so far

In a separate, unrelated situation that took place coincidentally on the same day of the voyage, the spokesperson said, "An 80-year-old woman was medically disembarked after being evaluated by our onboard medical team, who thought it best that she receive further assessment and treatment as needed from a local hospital."

"In instances such as these, as the guest was released from the hospital and in a coherent state, our protocol is to contact the guest directly, as we would not have the authority to share any medical details with anyone else without their expressed consent," the spokesperson added, saying they worked with the port agent to receive updates.

"The guest has since been escorted on a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, and then put in the care of airport staff to continue her journey to the United States, where she has now made a safe return," they said.

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‘A Lot of Chaos’: Bridge Collapse Creates Upheaval at Largest U.S. Port for Car Trade

A bridge collapse closed Baltimore’s port, an important trade hub that ranks first in the nation by the volume of automobiles and light trucks it handles.

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Shipping in the Port of Baltimore

Monthly cargo handled by the Port of Baltimore

By Peter Eavis and Jenny Gross

• March 26, 2024

The Baltimore bridge disaster on Tuesday upended operations at one of the nation’s busiest ports, with disruptions likely to be felt for weeks by companies shipping goods in and out of the country — and possibly by consumers as well.

The upheaval will be especially notable for auto makers and coal producers for whom Baltimore has become one of the most vital shipping destinations in the United States.

As officials began to investigate why a nearly 1,000-foot cargo ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the middle of the night, companies that transport goods to suppliers and stores scrambled to get trucks to the other East Coast ports receiving goods diverted from Baltimore. Ships sat idle elsewhere, unsure where and when to dock.

“It’s going to cause a lot of chaos,” said Paul Brashier, vice president for drayage and intermodal at ITS Logistics.

The closure of the Port of Baltimore is the latest hit to global supply chains, which have been strained by monthslong crises at the Panama Canal, which has had to slash traffic because of low water levels; and the Suez Canal, which shipping companies are avoiding because of attacks by the Houthis on vessels in the Red Sea.

The auto industry now faces new supply headaches.

Last year, 570,000 vehicles were imported through Baltimore, according to Sina Golara, an assistant professor of supply chain management at Georgia State University. “That’s a huge amount,” he said, equivalent to nearly a quarter of the current inventory of new cars in the United States.

The Baltimore port handled a record amount of foreign cargo last year, and it was the 17th biggest port in the nation overall in 2021, ranked by total tons, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Baltimore Ranks in the Top 20 U.S. Ports

Total trade in 2021 in millions of tons

Baltimore ranks first in the United States for the volume of automobiles and light trucks it handles, and for vessels that carry wheeled cargo, including farm and construction machinery, according to a statement by Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland last month.

The incident is another stark reminder of the vulnerability of the supply chains that transport consumer products and commodities around the world.

The extent of the disruption depends on how long it takes to reopen shipping channels into the port of Baltimore. Experts estimate it could take several weeks.

Baltimore is not a leading port for container ships, and other ports can likely absorb traffic that was headed to Baltimore, industry officials said.

Stephen Edwards, the chief executive of the Port of Virginia, said it was expecting a vessel on Tuesday that was previously bound for Baltimore, and that others would soon follow. “Between New York and Virginia, we have sufficient capacity to handle all this cargo,” Mr. Edwards said, referring to container ships.

“Shipping companies are very agile,” said Jean-Paul Rodrigue, a professor in the department of maritime business administration at Texas A&M University-Galveston. “In two to three days, it will be rerouted.”

But other types of cargo could remain snarled.

Alexis Ellender, a global analyst at Kpler, a commodities analytics firm, said he expected the port closure to cause significant disruption of U.S. exports of coal. Last year, about 23 million metric tons of coal exports were shipped from the port of Baltimore, about a quarter of all seaborne U.S. coal shipments. About 12 vessel had been expected to leave the port of Baltimore in the next week or so carrying coal, according to Kpler.

He noted that it would not make a huge dent on the global market, but he added that “the impact is significant for the U.S. in terms of loss of export capacity.”

“You may see coal cargoes coming from the mines being rerouted to other ports instead,” he said, with a port in Norfolk, Va., the most likely.

If auto imports are reduced by Baltimore’s closure, inventories could run low, particularly for models that are in high demand.

“We are initiating discussions with our various transportation providers on contingency plans to ensure an uninterrupted flow of vehicles to our customers and will continue to carefully monitor this situation,” Stellantis, which owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, said in a statement.

Other ports have the capacity to import cars, but there may not be enough car transporters at those ports to handle the new traffic.

“You have to make sure the capacity exists all the way in the supply chain — all the way to the dealership,” said Mr. Golara, the Georgia State professor.

A looming battle is insurance payouts, once legal liability is determined. The size of the payout from the insurer is likely to be significant and will depend on factors including the value of the bridge, the scale of loss of life compensation owed to families of people who died, the damage to the vessel and disruption to the port.

The ship’s insurer, Britannia P&I Club, part of a global group of insurers, said in a statement that it was “working closely with the ship manager and relevant authorities to establish the facts and to help ensure that this situation is dealt with quickly and professionally.”

The port has also increasingly catered to large container ships like the Dali, the 948-foot-long cargo vessel carrying goods for the shipping giant Maersk that hit a pillar of the bridge around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Dali had spent two days in Baltimore’s port before setting off toward the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge.

State-owned terminals, managed by the Maryland Port Administration, and privately owned terminals in Baltimore transported a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo in 2023, worth $80 billion.

Materials transported in large volumes through the city’s port include coal, coffee and sugar. It was the ninth-busiest port in the nation last year for receiving foreign cargo, in terms of volume and value.

The bridge’s collapse will also disrupt cruises traveling in and out of Baltimore. Norwegian Cruise Line last year began a new fall and winter schedule calling at the Port of Baltimore.

An earlier version of this article misstated the Port of Baltimore’s rank among U.S. ports. It was the nation’s 17th biggest port by total tons in 2021, not the 20th largest.

How we handle corrections

Peter Eavis reports on business, financial markets, the economy and companies across different sectors. More about Peter Eavis

Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times in London covering breaking news and other topics. More about Jenny Gross

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NEW YORK (WABC) -- As rain and wind pick up across the area, there is a potential for flooding on Wednesday afternoon, especially in poor drainage areas.

Some areas are under flood watches and high wind warnings while New York City remains under a travel advisory.

In fact, both Newark and LaGuardia airports planned for a ground stop around 1 p.m. JFK Airport is also expecting a ground stop after 4 p.m.

And the New York Mets postponed Wednesday's game against Detroit due to the weather.

Residents in Hollis, Queens, have seen their fair share of flooding in the past - including when Hurricane Ida hit in 2020.

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RELATED | Spring storm to bring snow to Upstate New York, parts of the Tri-State this week

The heaviest downpours are expected just in time for the evening commute, prompting a travel advisory to be put in place for the city throughout the day.

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The MTA also says it's ready to respond as necessary if the storm impacts public transportation.

ALSO READ | Are you in the path of totality? What to know about next week's total solar eclipse

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The issues faced by tourism in India – An overview

There has been a lot of praise for India as a tourist destination. Even so, tourisms in India face a few challenges. Communication in India is one of them. It is challenging for tourists to communicate in a language they barely understand in foreign countries and states. Learning English may also not be helpful in some circumstances.

The poor form of sanitation, safety, and transportation is a few other issues dragging down Indian tourism’s reputation.

Many foreign tourists have stopped visiting India. The government must promote India’s diversity and rich heritage to re-establish its position as a tourist paradise. The roots of Indian culture are firmly rooted in tradition, even though her roots may have branched out to modernism. Many foreign tourists are drawn to these traditions.

The lack of safety in India is among the most important reasons foreign tourists avoid visiting it. The locals have sometimes refused to aid foreign nationals who have experienced harassment because of communication problems. Foreign tourists must therefore feel safe from harassment by the government . There should also be strict punishments for those who harass foreign tourists.

As there will be fewer chances of tourists being defrauded by frauds with the government’s appointment of trained tour guides, tourists will gain from it. We will attract foreign tourists to India if we take these and other precautions regarding their interests.

How to improve tourism in India?

In the ever-expanding world of tourism, the federal and state governments are increasingly emphasizing proper planning. As such, the Ministry is striving to balance the promotion of tourism (which has proven to increase the GNP in developing countries in particular) with concern for safeguarding the physical, social, and cultural environment in the destination areas.

To balance tourism-related activities and the local environment, planning is vital for the development of tourism-related activities. Development countries are especially vulnerable to this. As a result, the impact is powerful here since they must develop a key infrastructure to maintain the existing unique cultural characteristics and promote overall socio-economic development. Furthermore, by preserving and enhancing their physical environment, they will encourage tourism.

Before any development decisions are made, it is essential to evaluate and analyze whether tourism promotion and infrastructural development will impact the habitat in socio-cultural, socio-economic, physical, and environmental terms.

These structures are more noticeable in hill, beach and wildlife resorts with an acute ecological setting or other culturally sensitive retreats. It is thus essential that any program to promote tourism development emphasizes the benefits and minimizes the negative impacts on the social, economic, and physical environments of the destination areas.

Tourism planning: The overall context

Tourism is an essential thrust area for development in both macro and micro contexts of the National Five Year Plans.

(1)Instead of spreading limited resources over a significant number of circuits or centres, develop selected tourist circuits and centres that are popular among tourists.

2) In India, the tourism industry is diversifying away from traditional sightseeing tours oriented (primarily places of cultural tourism interest) to a more rapidly expanding market based on the country’s atmosphere and environment, emphasizing the aesthetic, environmental, and socio-cultural implications of projects.

(3)There are many nontraditional areas of tourism, such as trekking, winter sports, wildlife tourism, and beach resort tourism, which would enrich the tourism resources of the Himalayas, the vast coastline with sandy beaches and abundant wildlife, and encourage more tourists to stay longer in these areas.

4) Promotion and balanced development of national heritage projects with cultural, historical, and tourism value to leverage the unique advantages of Indian culture as a tourist destination and make use of tourism to preserve the country’s heritage.

As part of the formulation of tourism complexes, the macro-and micro-level planning and development need to ensure the integration of tourism resources and tourism activities to maximize social, economic and environmental benefits and meet tourists’ needs for infrastructure, leisure and recreation.

Tourist nodes, areas, and networks are examples of how tourism resources and tourist facilities interact spatially. It is essential to develop tourism complexes in an organized manner so that in their regional or area-wise context, investment benefits and performance are optimized.

The Tourism Development Plans will have to accommodate various destinations types and tourism activities based on the diversified demand for infrastructure. There are several tourism activity areas, including:

1) The beauty of nature is high enough for passive recreation,

2) Beach resorts, recreation areas, etc.

3) Areas with comfortable climates such as hill resorts

4) Culturally significant places including museums, monuments, sites of fairs and festivals

5) Places of pilgrimage and temples for religious tourism;

6) Areas designated for adventure tourism include trekking, rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing, etc.

7) Specially designated areas of interest, including sanctuaries for wild animals, areas containing exotic flora and fauna, sanctuaries for birds, etc.

Carrying Capacity :

As a resource-based industry, tourism needs resource assessment to promote tourism in a way that is compatible with other demands. In addition to identifying and assessing the resource under competing demands, it is also essential to arrive at a capacity that will be matched by the supply, both locationally and according to its activity.

For planning tourist facilities and infrastructure, carrying capacity is essential, particularly concerning sensitive destinations such as hilly areas. There is a threshold beyond which the tourist industry becomes overly saturated (physical power), the environment deteriorates (environmental capacity), or visitor enjoyment drops (perceptual ability).

Despite their acceptance today, carrying capacity has been largely unused in planning because of difficulties measuring the thresholds (except perhaps physical ability). Recreational areas are determined at an optimal capacity by combining factors that decide on their biological and ecological capacity with those which decide on their social (perceptual).

It is recommended that guidelines for ecological capacity be developed with an emphasis on hilly environments and nature reserves since these areas are ecologically sensitive, and the habitat forms part of the environment within them. Developers largely ignore these recommendations out of greed, and there is no reason for this to continue.

Resources for Tourist Evaluation :

Only through the combination of natural and manufactured attractions can an area offer visitors that any successful tourism development is formalized. The following are some of our resources. The merits of this system are often overlooked or not considered without a complex systematic inventory and analysis of its values, potential, and limitations.

There are two issues at stake here:

a)What are the techniques for identifying a region’s resource base? And

b) how can these resources be assessed for their intrinsic value in the market?

An inventory is necessary for the first, while appropriate evaluation techniques are required for the second. Tourist resources are valued in diversity, attractiveness, and sustainability based on supply and demand (tourist preferences, which are assessed through surveys) with a minimum impact on the local economy, society, and the environment. Environmental impact studies must precede any tourism development program.

Infrastructural Development :

Developing tourist-related physical infrastructure is imperative in order for tourism to function effectively as part of any region’s development package. It is also essential to think of infrastructure from the perspective of the overall needs of an area and the host population.

Tourism spots must be attractive enough to draw tourists, which is vital for their development. Three key components can characterize tourism in a tourist centre:

• Accessibility
• Accommodation Facilities and Services, and

i) Accessibility :

In terms of accessibility, tourist spots or tourist destinations are defined as:

As applicable, there should be local access to the specific places of tourist interest within the town from the closest transportation interchange point, such as an airport , a railroad station or a railway terminal, or the town’s entry point. Furthermore, it involves connecting roads from one place to another and providing adequate parking, servicing, and garage facilities in the city and its environs.

Accessibility to the tourist centre and tourist destination area from the nearest point of embarkation for tourists within the region by the three conventional modes of transportation, namely road, rail, and air, as well as opportunities for connecting tourism to other important centres within the region.

ii) Accommodation Facilities and Services:

An important factor is the availability of adequate accommodations in tourist centres and destinations that meet tourists’ quantitative and qualitative needs. These accommodations can encourage tourists to spend more time at a destination. There is a more significant deterrent to tourist influx in India due to the lack of this basic amenity than the accessibility to such facilities. There would be a need to gauge the amount and kind of accommodation in each of the individual centres based on an assessment of local conditions. By and large, tourists should be able to find comfortable accommodations and have access to all utilities and services and choose from an array of affordable options.

To make a tourist complex attractive, it is essential to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, safe water supply, sewerage, drainage, and sanitation. Additionally, civic infrastructure includes health clinics, telephones and telegraphs, and banks. However, tourism forms and destination locations influence critical aspects of these factors.

iii) Recreational Aspects:

Accommodation availability can be a critical factor in influencing a tourist’s stay in a tourist centre, but adequate recreational elements can also prolong the tourist season whole. This aspect of development is vitally essential for relaxation and diversion. Tourism encompasses a broad range of recreational activities, including both active and passive outdoor recreation and all commercial recreation activities.

The problem is simplified in some ways in metropolitan and central cities because visitors can take advantage of indoor and outdoor recreational facilities that are legitimate necessities for the local population. However, for small palaces with even more tourist attractions and interest, tourists should have access to exclusive recreational amenities.

To do so, one must consider the socio-cultural environment and milieu of the destination. A tourist centre’s infrastructure must also include “ancillary infrastructure facilities and services” to be developed comprehensively. Generally, these consist of facilities for the growth of traditional and indigenous arts and crafts, tourism-related cottage industries, housing for artisans engaged in such activities, and an appropriate amount of land set aside for such purposes.

Accommodation and other ancillary necessities of the “service population” needed to staff the tourist and hospitality facilities and amenities are essential. Slums with inhumane conditions can result from ignoring this aspect.

PLAN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT:

The development of tourist infrastructure has been the focus of all nations throughout the world that has developed a systematic approach to tourism development. Many factors have influenced this development. Here are a few of them:

(1) Factors that influence or have the potential to influence proper exploitation of the specific tourism resource (positive and negative).

(2) Effectiveness of a particular resource in supporting tourism development in terms of its impacts on the environment, the ecology, and the socio-cultural aspects at a macro and micro level.

There are also problems relating to access and infrastructure provision financing and management.

Designating favourable zones for tourist infrastructure and safeguarding their natural and manufactured resources are essential elements of a Corsican Tourism Master Plan, along with an Access and Land Control Policy for development in and around the designated areas. An overall macro-level policy plan should direct programming at the micro-level.

Regarding the development of the coastal tourism industry in France, the Master Plan emphasizes:

• a) Development of tourism in the hinterland of existing resorts generally perpendicular to the coast,
• b) Designation of natural reserves, protected forests, agriculture and forestry land as extended areas of environmental protection to provide ecological conservation.

These initiatives have been aimed at protecting the environment while conserving tourism resources and natural resources.

However, it can hardly be overstated how vital a Physical Development Plan is to the overall Tourism Master Plan on both a macro and micro level.

The critical components of a full-fledged tourism master plan should include:

• In regards to tourism and recreation, we have recommended policies and priorities,
• The infrastructure development program,
• Detailed map of development, conservation, and protected areas and a description of the development process.
• A strategy for implementing, coordinating, and funding,
• A review of the resulting ecological and socio-economic effects and a plan for resolving them
• Monitoring of changes and effects of action programmers.

A fundamental development policy should address how to regulate, reduce, or reduce the pressure on a limited resource, such as a tourist centre, hill resort, or beach complex, which is affected by inappropriate uses.

• Putting access restrictions in place,
• Facility limitations,
• Organizing activities based on spatial zones,
• Establishing an activity schedule, and
• Alternative destination development.

First, a study of the tourism resource characteristics and potential would be needed to develop a Master Plan. The destination area’s physical, social, economic, and environmental attributes should be analyzed. Tourism Master Plans establish the framework for planning, developing, and managing tourism destinations through the following components:

• The best way to exploit the tourism resources, and the study of the resources
• Tourism flow analysis.

This component of the Master Plan includes:

• Spatially organizing tourist facilities and infrastructure.
• They are establishing accessibility and linkages, both internally and externally, between various parts of the tourism activity area.
• They are establishing outdoor recreation areas as part of an integrated park system.

An essential part of a Master Plan is measuring and planning environmental protection, landscaping, and site development. Further, it should be clarify that the complex is linked to the hinterland and measures to prevent action on its perimeter.

In addition, it is crucial to integrate the growth of the tourism complex with the socio-economic development of the smaller settlements that surround it.

An integrated Physical Development Plan for phasing the complex’s construction and providing tourism infrastructure is required to specify these policies and programmes in detail.

Physical Development Issues :

Many aspects of tourism development are not entirely related to economics, such as geography, sociology, anthropology, and the ecology of the area and its inhabitants. To achieve optimum socio-economic gains for the local community and tourist activity, all of these factors need to be thoroughly understood and analyzed. Tourism planning should be conceived as an integrated approach, especially when products are made from vulnerable natural resources.

There is high crowd density at tourist spots and destination areas, so they need to be adequately provided with parking facilities, pedestrian routes, crosswalks, and regions for pedestrian movement and assembling, as well as tourist infrastructure features such as boarding and lodging, civic services, tourist shopping, leisure, and recreational activities, depending on the location, attraction, and projected tourist demand.

The standards and scope of tourist infrastructure will differ from one place to another. It is nevertheless necessary to organize infrastructure facilities in a spatially logical manner. Having proper physical planning and design is also crucial to the success of the tourist spot.

Regardless of whether the tourist spot is a resort or a township, the activities associated with tourism are by definition spatial, whether it is part of a development zone or an isolated complex. A focus should be placed on the integrated development of the tourist centre, with all individual development schemes for various tourist destinations forming part of an overarching plan for the area.

As part of this discussion, it should also be noted that metropolitan and major cities can meet tourists’ needs, particularly in infrastructure development, mainly by utilizing existing buildings and facilities that are already in place and planned.

However, in small towns and isolated areas, tourists’ infrastructure needs and services must, by extension and augmentation, be made readily available to locals as well as tourists. In turn, the tourist spots in these small towns may benefit from investment in tourism in an overall positive way.

Furthermore, the development scheme must implement in phases according to its involvement, and a future expansion and augmentation should be built into the design.

City Spots for Tourists:

An essential first step is to zone a tourism activity area. Whenever possible, tourist sites within the city should be zoned and the adequate surrounding area. Special tourist zones. There is a need to identify even larger integrated zones encompassing several such tourist spots in one complex in a city with several tourist destinations, such as historical cities and pilgrimage towns, to allow integration in physical development.

When planning and developing individual tourist spots, such plans should consider the overall tourism development strategy.

It should include the following:

• As part of the city network, there is access to various tourist spots,
• Limited vehicular accessibility, as well as a predominant pedestrian orientation, determine the flow of internal traffic,
• Location of infrastructure facilities around each spot as well as zoning of land
• I aim to prevent high-intensity development in the area as far as possible through appropriate zoning regulations.

In zoning passive uses in the immediate surrounding of a tourist spot, keeping the spot’s identity and sanctity should be a paramount concern. Whenever possible, the tourist destination itself needs to stand out in the designated area for infrastructure development without engulfing the infrastructure.

As much as possible, the infrastructure complex of the selected site should be directly accessible from the main road, leaving a sufficient amount of greenery between tourist spots and the complex.

Therefore, a low-profile development is necessary to maintain the integrity of the designated site. Additionally, it is not desirable to distribute infrastructure over a large area but rather to plan all the facilities as a complex to minimize waste and maximize energy efficiency while keeping as much land as possible green for development.

Conservation Through Design :

As part of preserving tourist centres, the “tourist character” is also preserved. This aspect is more crucial for maintaining small towns, which, owing to their history and heritage, are more frequent attractions for tourists.

The physical expansion and economic diversification of these towns must plan to maintain their historical and cultural heritage. It would be beneficial to keep enough green buffer zones surrounding the new development and around them to promote tourism.

A tourist spot’s physical conservation may be manifested in a general enhancement and restoration by constructing well laid out gardens, pavements, curio stores, and kiosks and providing tourist equipment, such as tourist literature and guides. Although this topic deserves the most attention, restraint, and design sensibility, the focus should be on preservation over renovation and beautification on a large scale.

Natural features must be preserved when developing a site, especially for tourist-oriented activity zones. Furthermore, a properly designed landscape plan should include the generous planting of trees as an integral part of the site development programme. Buildings should be designed in a low-rise development on the portion of the site allotted for infrastructure facilities.

Spatial Design Aspects :

Developing an area for tourism has the primary aim of attracting tourists. As a result, they have a visual design aspect and aesthetic consideration crucial to their formulation and implementation. It includes the construction of an approach road, landscaping, remodelling, general beautification, or providing tourist housing.

Therefore, the development of tourist spots and complexes must incorporate bare land and infrastructure planning principles with Urban Form and Landscape Design parameters to develop functional and environmentally friendly products and visually and aesthetically appealing.

To conceptualize a Spatial Design Composition for a unique tourist attraction or group of interests, it is necessary to identify tourist hot spots. Tourist sites and their surrounding areas should be analyzed for physical characteristics. In this way, a site is developed rationally, and its tourist assets can be accessed to their full potential.

All tourist infrastructure facilities should be arranged and located off the landmark’s visual axis. In larger complexes, a similar principle can also formulate an overall Spatial Design Composition that integrates individual tourist spots into an overall composition. Within a comprehensive planning scheme for the designated tourism area, viewpoints can be identified as areas of maximum attraction and landmarks to be treated similarly to landmarks. The Tourism industry in India is going to increase if the above elements are taken into account.

In addition to its many unique tourist attractions, India is one of the most famous countries for its tourism. Every country’s economy relies heavily on tourism, which helps drive economic growth and development.

As the second-largest source of foreign currency earnings for India, tourism is the second-largest source of foreign currency earnings. The tourism industry in India employs many workers in both skilled and unskilled categories, explaining why a large portion of people’s lives are based on tourism. In any country, tourism increases international friendship and mutual understanding among citizens.

The beauty and attractions of our country have fascinated people worldwide, both naturally and culturally. Several places in India attract tourists worldwide, such as historical monuments, forts, beaches, religious sites, mountains resorts, etc. There is a lot of tourism in India due to its unity in diversity marked by its rich heritage of cultures, traditions, and religions.

Since India is home to people from many religious backgrounds and languages, it has a wide variety of handicrafts, folk dances, fairs, festivals, music, ballet, clothing, eating habits, lifestyles, languages, and so on, which arouses the desire to travel to India in people of all backgrounds.

Many Bollywood actors at international and national levels promote tourism in India today, thanks to the efforts of tourism ministries. In addition to offering recommendations to encourage tourism, the Tourism Advisory Council also encourages the circulation of visitors in the country.

Despite terrorist attacks, insecurity and pollutant emissions in the country, the Indian tourism industry continues to develop due to the government’s sincere efforts. It is the most dynamic industry in the country and heavily contributes to its economic development.

There are many reasons why people come to our country every year despite many problems, including its popularity as a tourist destination throughout Asia. Having four natural borders (the Himalayan Range to the west, the Arabian Sea to the east, the Bay of Bengal to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west), our country is naturally constrained in its sightings. 

Tourism in India is promoted by various activities such as sailing, scuba diving, rafting, skiing, mountaineering, canals, and winter sports. Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) launched a tourism campaign titled “Incredible India” in 2005 to encourage visitors. There are also categories for tourist sites in India, such as spiritual tourism, ecotourism, spa tourism, and adventure tourism, all aimed at promoting tourism and better growth in the country.   

Because of the negligence of the concerned authorities, pollution in India has affected the Indian tourism industry; Mathura refinery effluents contaminate Taj Mahal marble in Agra due to corrosion. A perfect example of this can be seen on the beautiful beaches in India that are gradually turning into rubbish dumps and garbage dumps.

As a result, India must overcome its pollution problems while promoting medical tourism to strengthen its tourism industry. It increases the number of tourists in the country and will improve tourism throughout the year. To maintain international standards in medical facilities for tourists, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tourism have taken many initiatives.

Edited and published by Ashlyn Joy

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FAA issues warning ahead of April 8 total solar eclipse

T he Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning about possible travel disruptions related to the April 8 total solar eclipse.

The warning covers airports along the path of totality – the area that will experience the greatest periods of darkness during the “Great North American Eclipse.” The path of totality will go from the southwest to northeast, hitting parts of 15 states - Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. It will be visible to varying degrees across the contiguous U.S. from 1:30 p.m. CDT to 2:40 p.m. CDT.

READ MORE: Total solar eclipse path 2024: Search your city, ZIP code for best viewing times

The FAA warning said to expect “possible impacts to air traffic and airports along the eclipse path,” including delays and increased air traffic. Cities along the path include Dallas; San Antonio; Little Rock, Ark.; Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; and Burlington, Vermont.

“Aircraft should be prepared for potential airborne holding, reroutes, and/or Expect Departure Clearance Times that may be issued for all domestic…arrivals and departures,” the notice said, adding airports along the path of totality should “coordinate departure times as early as possible” and delays are to be expected.

Peak traffic is likely and parking at smaller airports could also be an issue, the warning continued. Special security, including temporary flight restrictions and two-way radio communications, could also be put in place. During the eclipse, practice flights and pilot training will likely be prohibited, according to the notice.

The FAA warning is just the latest as areas along the path of totality brace for massive crowds during the eclipse, the last total solar eclipse in the lower 48 United States until 2045. Earlier, Oklahoma announced it was activating its National Guard to assist local governments during the eclipse and, in Texas, officials advised local residents to stock up on food and gas in anticipation of crowds.

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

AAA Issues Warnings Ahead of April 8 Solar Eclipse

Travel frenzy expected in several regions ahead of this historic event, and the hotel industry is already seeing the effect.

• AAA predicts busy travel weekend ahead of the April 8 eclipse, with hotel and rental car bookings already impacted.
• Saturday, April 6, is expected to be a busy travel day for eclipse watchers, as they make their way to several cities to view the eclipse on Monday, April 8.
• AAA has listed several recommendations for those traveling by car to view the eclipse.

Solar eclipses used to be pretty laid-back events. You'd have one whole science class period in middle school about planetary motion and eclipses a week prior. You'd go outside during lunchtime and don some cool shades that your school bought up beforehand. The sky would go gray for a few minutes, and everything would get a few degrees cooler for a while. And that was it.

AAA has noted that several major cities in the US have seen a rise in hotel bookings nearly a month ahead of the eclipse, and hotels in a number of major cities have already started cashing in on the mania.

"AAA booking data show hotels in the most popular cities along the path of totality are 48% more expensive during the eclipse weekend than they were that same time last year," the association revealed back in March.

The association notes that Saturday, April 6, is expected to be a busy day for travel as eclipse-watchers, with rental car giant Hertz reporting a 3000% increase over 2023 in advance bookings for cities that will be in the path of the eclipse. (And suddenly lots of people who didn't care about planets are going to be eclipse experts on social media).

AAA says the cities that are the most popular for these newfound eclipse fans include Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. The Niagara Falls region, being close to Buffalo, will be another hotspot for eclipse watchers.

So yes, it's probably going to be difficult to get a table at the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls on April 8.

Expecting people to do crazy things when the eclipse will be observable in parts of the US and Canada, AAA has issued a list of warnings of what not to do during the eclipse.

Aside from certainly wearing special eclipse glasses if you're going to look at the sun, high on that list is a warning to refrain from trying to photograph the eclipse while driving. That shouldn't have to be said, but you just know it will happen anyway when people forget about the eclipse and then it catches them in traffic.

AAA also reminds eclipse watchers not to wear the eclipse glasses while driving—another solid tip some people will probably ignore.

The association says it's a bad idea to suddenly pull over on the side of the interstate or road to view the eclipse. It's better to plan ahead and set up in a safe place beforehand, instead of kicking up a cloud of dust and causing semitrucks to slam on the brakes.

AAA also warns drivers to be mindful of pedestrians who might be viewing the eclipse and not watching the traffic. (Pedestrians could also be looking at their phones, like every other day of the year).

It will also be a good idea to keep your vehicle's headlights on during the eclipse, as traffic in cities in the path of totality could be a bit chaotic, AAA notes.

Ideally, if you'll be driving some distance to view the eclipse, pick out a spot beforehand and arrive ahead of time.

"Many travelers will make a long weekend out of the event. Saturday, April 6 is expected to be a busy travel day," AAA notes.

For the exact time of the eclipse in your area, visit Time and Date and view the interactive map.

As for us, we'll rest easy in the knowledge that even in medieval times eclipses were considered super nice omens and were definitely not associated with any societal turmoil or anything remotely bad.

Would you consider traveling out of state for a solar eclipse, or is this just too much? Let us know in the comments.

Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013. 

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Here is What to Know Beyond Why Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) is a Trending Stock

April 03, 2024 — 09:00 am EDT

Written by Zacks Equity Research for Zacks  ->

Allegiant Travel (ALGT) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.

Over the past month, shares of this travel services company have returned -6.8%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.5% change. During this period, the Zacks Transportation - Airline industry, which Allegiant Travel falls in, has gained 1.2%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?

While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.

Revisions to Earnings Estimates

Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.

Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.

Allegiant Travel is expected to post earnings of $1.29 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -57.6%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +2%.

The consensus earnings estimate of $6.75 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of -7.7%. This estimate has changed -0.7% over the last 30 days.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $10.23 indicates a change of +51.5% from what Allegiant Travel is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -2%.

Having a strong externally audited track record , our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates , Allegiant Travel is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Revenue Growth Forecast

While earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.

In the case of Allegiant Travel, the consensus sales estimate of $657.5 million for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +1.2%. The $2.75 billion and $3.11 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +9.4% and +13.1%, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise History

Allegiant Travel reported revenues of $611 million in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -0.1%. EPS of $0.11 for the same period compares with $3.17 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $601.47 million, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +1.59%. The EPS surprise was +116.42%.

Over the last four quarters, Allegiant Travel surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.

Without considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.

While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.

The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an An is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Allegiant Travel is graded A on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

Bottom Line

The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Allegiant Travel. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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