Land Pollution Effects on Tourism
Land pollution is one of the major concerns worldwide. However, it not only affects the local ecology, but also decreases the tourist count of an area. Land pollution and the tourism industry has a mutual connection. The intricate relationship shared between the two has recently been understood through detailed, in depth studies. All studies till date point towards the need to develop ecotourism. Ecotourism and an active interest by the government and its citizens can solve the problem.
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Land Pollution
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Land pollution is the destruction of agricultural land and forest area because of excess pollution or construction. It can occur due to large scale constructions which are usually carried out in order to support the ever-growing economy of a country or due to landfills and water pollution. Whatever the cause of land pollution, the result is the same--an unbalance in the local ecology.
How Land Pollution Affects Tourism
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Land pollution renders massive stretches of land unsuitable for inhabitation and destroys natural greenery. As a result, tourism in that particular area drops, since further tourism infrastructure cannot be built and the surrounding beauty quotient decreases. After all, nobody would want to visit a place which is polluted and has decaying infrastructure. Some tertiary effects of land pollution are poor water quality, polluted air and harsh climatic variations. Such tertiary effects affect the tourist count of an area.
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Uncontrolled Tourism Leads To Land Pollution
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Tourism also adds to the woes of pollution. Studies show that in order to meet the growing numbers of tourists, many countries build too many tourist infrastructures at the cost of land integrity. Also, the local ecology is disturbed to accommodate tourist activities such as hiking, trekking, biking, fishing and diving. For example, a sudden influx of tourists to a beach with corals can pollute the beach and this in turn will pollute the shorelines leading to a decrease in the coral population.
Solution
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Tourism and land pollution go hand-in-hand. Tourism brings in a lot of revenue, but a decline in the natural offerings reduces the tourist inflow. This vicious circle keeps on repeating itself in every hot tourist spot all over the world. As more and more governments start to understand this issue, they realize that tourism is something that is vital to their economy and so is the preservation of nature. The solution taken by most is to promote ecotourism.
Ecotourism
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Ecotourism simply means tourism coupled with the idea of protecting the environment. It promotes travelling to natural spots rather than commercial attractions, using cleaner means of sightseeing such as bicycles and walking, and doing activities that have minimal impact on the environment. Ecotourism aims at reducing the need to claim land and develop infrastructure for tourists. It focuses on utilizing what is already present to draw tourists in.
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