Tourists threat to environment

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 17

Tourists threat to environment

Mass migrations — whether they are the barbarian hordes of history or the jet-transported tourists of today — have impacts upon society which cannot be fully measured through quantitative analysis. As more tourists avail themselves of the opportunities which travel presents, many of the world’s most fragile monuments and most treasured environments increasingly are subject to the same post-industrial pressures which the tourists sought to escape. Pollution, over-crowding and littering are having a serious affect upon the vacations of millions of tourists around the world. These social factors must become the concern of both governments and the tourism industry. If they do not, the tourism industiy will have failed to build up on the strong growth exhibited over the past decade and governments will be remiss on meeting the present and future needs of their citizens. Indications are that the public is willing to accept certain restrictions in return for a more enjoyable tourism experience. In Yosemite National Park in the western part of jhe United States, for

example, a survey of visitors indicated that 81 per cent of those polled were in favour of prohibiting snowmobile use within the park. The survey also showed that 53 per cent favoured an end to holding conventions in the park and 43 per cent would discourage the use of private cars there by expanding the shuttle bus system. The public understands that growth in leisure time and discretionary income is enabling the general population to engage in the tourist experience to an ever greater degree — either through one extended vacation a year or perhaps several shorter ones. Since the number of tourists is increasing annually, the only safeguard to serious environmental damage is to impose restrictions. In Greece, for example, a member of Parliament recently reflected upon the devastation of some of that nation’s most popular resort islands and remarked: “There are nowquotas for immigrants and foreign workers. There must be a ceiling put on tourists.” The remark was made with the recognition that

tourists spent over S62OM in Greece in 1975, making tourist spending the nation’s leading source of foreign exchange. In the United States, the National Park Service, an agency of the United States Department of the Interior, estimates that a total of 252 M people will visit the national parks in 1976 — an increase of 14M over the 1975 record.

By

ELLIOT L. RICHARDSON,

former United

States Secretary’ of Commerce.

Increased crowds have forced the National Park Service to limit backcountry camping through the issue of free permits in 30 parks. When the permit system was begun four years ago, only four parks were on the list. A National Park Service planner looking toward the future stated in a recent interview that three things were necessary for the preservation of the public’s enjoyment of the park system: (1) relieving the heavy congestion in the most popular parks; (2) cutting down on exhaust fumes and dust; and (3) eliminating cars where they mar the historic or scenic aspects. of an area.

“We must deal with the whole problem of moving people in more -innovative ways,” he concluded. Yet the movement of people in innovative ways is only a partial answer to the social consequences of tourism — the great mass migration of our era. The actions, attitudes and reactions of these great masses of tourists

are what will ultimately determine the shape and structure of tourism and the tourism industry over the next several decades. But the fact that the number of tourists is continuing to increase cannot be disputed. Foreign visitors to the United States illustrate the point. The United States Travel Service, a United States Department of Commerce agency, forecasts a 15 per cent increase in the number of international visitors to the United States this year. If such numbers materialise, the United States will have greeted more than 18M visitors in 1977.

Recent developments lead me to believe that both governments and industry are recognising the need for co-operation and planning against the social abuses of tourism. The State of Hawaii made a dramatic move toward curbing tourism excesses this year when the State legislature established an Interim State Policy on Tourism.

The legislation aiso created a 13-member Interim Tourism Advisory Council drawing representation from the tourism industry, organised labour, the general public and county governments within the State of Hawaii. The purpose of the legislation is to plan for the orderly growth of tourism so as to bring about maximum benefit to the people of Hawaii. In creating the Interim State Policy on Tourism, the legislature of Hawaii cited four objectives which the policy would- attempt to further. They included: (1) providing an optimum of satisfaction and high

quality service to visitors; (2) protecting the natural beauty of Hawaii; (3) preserving and enriching the understanding of Hawaiian heritage; and (4) sustaining the economic health of the visitor industry to the extent that it is compatible with the previous objectives. This legislation is a landmark which, I feel confident, will become increasingly widespread throughout the high-den-sity tourism destinations of the United States and other nations during the coming decade. A U.N.E.S.C.O. report recently observed: “Developers have disfigured much of the coastline of the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Adriatic with huge hotels, holiday camps and often shoddy tourist attractions. Mountain areas, particularly in the Alps, have suffered similarly with the development of new ski resorts.” The Economic Commission for Europe recommends that membernations should give consideration to the establishment of a code of conduct for tourists. The United States Travel Service is developing such a statement of principles in conjunction

with the Commerce Department’s Travel Advisory Board. Both a visitor’s pledge and a companion host’s pledge will signify recognition by the United States that continued tourism development is the result of mutual satisfaction on the part of both the tourist and the host itywhile such pledges will lack the force of law, they will nevertheless indicate the shared responsibility which must be assumed if tourism is to grow and prosper in a world exhibiting greater concern for the quality of life. Such action also will demonstrate to the world that the tourism industry and governmental agencies are concerned with stemming the tide of social abuses related to mass tourism. Enjoyment of our attractions must be based upon a social concern for these attractions — whether they be mountains, beaches or cities. Anything less than such a concern will not only make mass tourism a self-defeating proposition facing ever-increasing opposition, but it will also permit an apathetic, selfnerpetuating pillage of irreplaceable resources.