How can we transform travel from mass production, overconsumption and waste to a sustainable cultural meeting without exploiting the local area and people? I have been travelling around Japan by train the last couple of weeks and have reflected a lot on my role as a tourist in a foreign country, what the consequences of tourism are on the local areas and whether tourism, in the end, is able to be sustainable at all.
As evident in the increase of aviation travel, the normalization of travelling has in recent years opened many people’s eyes to the many benefits of travelling. It allows people to experience the world and its differences while gaining a much broader perspective of people but also a better understanding of themselves.
“Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – The Travels of Ibn Battutah
Travel can also be a way to escape your daily life and try something new or to relax away from your everyday responsibilities. Tourism has been an increasing development following the increased interconnectedness of the world allowing for attractions to adapt to the increase in visitors. Furthermore, tourism has also played a key role in many economies around the world allowing more people to get the opportunity to travel or work within the travel industry as local guides for example.
Cultural Consequences of Tourism
Unfortunately, these many positive effects of travel on individuals and economies do not carry over to its impact on cultures or the environment. Currently, I am travelling around Japan by train, but I did fly here on a plane due to the long distance (From Copenhagen to Tokyo= 8734 km). These last two weeks I have been reflecting a lot on my role as a visitor in another country and during my travels I have noticed how much of the local culture is used to appeal to international tourists. This is not exclusive to Japan; many popular tourist destinations have altered areas or cultures to accommodate demands from foreign visitors rather than sustaining local culture such as menus containing cuisines from all around the world or mass-produced souvenirs that are modified to local attractions. However, this change cannot be blamed on the locals in their attempt to ensure business for their business. I am not going to “pretend to be a saint”, I have purchased some of these mass-produced souvenirs and gone to restaurants and ordered a dish that I crave which is not considered a local cuisine or speciality. Hence, I am very well aware that I am also a part of the problem. Modification of local culture to appease tourists is annoying because the history and values are in danger of being erased. This also creates a “cultural hierarchy” that establishes some cultures as the “better culture” because it has the ability to influence others. It could maybe be considered a kind of neo-colonialism. Furthermore, establishing this dynamic of appealing to tourists gives them a certain power over societies where their economies are dependent on tourism. This leads to tourists having an entitled attitude when travelling, expected to be accommodated and catered to despite their unrealistic expectations. This means that despite the positive economic effects of tourism, it gives tourists increasing control over the national economy and culture because to attract more tourists and thereby the national capital many places are somewhat forced to adapt to what tourists want. Additionally, in a few cases, this also leads to instances where tourists are prioritized over the national citizens or to displacements of locals such as the case in Santorini, Greece where a local government official asked residents to stay inside in favour of more room for tourist in a now-deleted Facebook post.
Another incident happened in Kyoto Japan earlier this year. The Geisha district, Gion in Kyoto Japan had to restrict tourists due to unacceptable behaviour from tourists who took pictures of Geishas without permission, harassed them and trespassed on private property as reported in The Guardian & The Asahi Shimbun.
The dangers of depending on tourism
The dependency on tourism is very dangerous for several reasons for example natural disasters caused by climate change, pandemics such as COVID-19 and international conflicts can prevent tourists from entering the country. An example of being too dependent on tourism is Hawaii where the dependency on tourism has caused a massive increased cost of living on the islands leading to locals being driven to homelessness. Keani Rawlins-Fernandezwho is native to Hawaii told Business Insider “Our locals feel like their homes are treated like a theme park and there’s no more privacy.” Going on to say that during the covid-19 lockdown islands that did not rely primarily on tourism performed better economically than those who did because they were not as dependent on visitors. Keani herself is fighting inequality and better rights for the native people of Hawaii in her work as a policy maker.
The Environmental Consequences of Tourism
Tourism also has a huge environmental impact which is not only possibly displacing locals as the case with Hawaii but also the increased amounts co2 emission as a result of travelling which will increase by 25% in 2030 from 2016 levels according to UN Tourism. Transport-related emissions from tourism contributed to 5% of all human-made emissions and are also set to increase to 5,3% by 2030. Furthermore, research shows that international travel has increased by 65% from 2005 to 2016 and is also suspected to increase.
Another case of Japan’s problem with mass tourism is needing to restrict access at Mount Fuji due to overcrowded hiking trials leading to more accidents and increased littering. People are now charged if they wish to hike climb or hike Mount Fuji in an attempt to combat these issues according to The Guardian.
As travel has become more accessible which is amazing but also attractive for many, in popular destinations culture has become something to be commodified and sold to the masses rather than engaging and learning about the local traditions which has shown to have a direct impact on the environment.
Global impact of tourism
The impact of tourism on the environment globally is visible in several ways. One is through the rise in carbon emissions in transportation, specifically air travel. According to our world in data using research from David Lee et al. (2020) shows that global CO2 emissions have quadrupled since the mid-1960s with a minor setback in 2020. Concluding that while aviation travel “only” accounts for 2,5% of global CO2 emissions however its contribution to climate change is greater. According to another study by Klöwer et al. (2021) Which is also highlighted by worldindata.org aviation travel accounts for approximately 4% of global temperature rises since pre-industrial times. This primarily accounts for the CO2 emissions impact on climate change. Learn more: What share of global CO₂ emissions come from aviation? & Quantifying aviation’s contribution to global warming
Another impact made by the tourism industry is the mass production of “authentic” souvenirs which often end up in landfills. Especially the mass-produced items which are often produced in China under poor working conditions. Imogen Lepere reflects on collecting souvenirs in an article for the Independent: Can souvenir-collecting ever be sustainable? Arguing that cheaply made souvenirs cause more negative environmental and economic impact on the local area whereas buying locally made souvenirs is the way to go as it is both more ethically and environmentally friendly. Using this figure by the World Travel and Tourism Council & The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism to accurately illustrate the complexity of the Travel and Tourism industry.
Figure 2.1 – The environmental impact of Global Tourism Local environments 2023
by World Travel and Tourism Council & Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism
Local Environmental impact
The impact on the local environment could be the harm on biodiversity due to tourism. For example, animals emigrated with their prey fleeing from the influx of people on hiking trials. As mentioned littering is also harmful to the local environment. Overcrowdedness also contributes to overheating in tropical climates. “The more the merrier” – is not always true.
What can we do?
Essentially, the tourism industry is experiencing a similar issue as with almost anything else. Despite wanting to remain culturally authentic many businesses are somewhat forced to adapt to the demands of tourists to protect their income. What can we do as young people?
- Fight for more public transportation in our home countries to promote more sustainable travel methods!
- Use public transportation such as trains or ferries instead of flying or driving.
- Prepare and do your research to be ready for challenges.
- Visit more unknown or less popular tourist destinations and recommend other places to people around you.
- Be curious about the local culture and ask questions.
- Be sensitive towards the culture, dive into their history and respect the local residents.
- Learn some of their language
- Try to reconsider buying a souvenir, try and research beforehand something handmade, local and/or sustainable.
- Buy souvenirs that will be of use to you
- Keep a small plastic bag for trash when hiking or visiting places where trashcans are less available to prevent littering.
- Bring your own reusable water bottle and refill It if possible.
- Respect people’s privacy; don’t post pictures of people without their permission or parent’s permission in the case of kids.
- Ask yourself: Would I do this at home? If the answer is no, then you probably should also not do it in a foreign country unless it is a local norm.
As young people we have a responsibility to change how we consider tourism and as part of the UN sustainability goals it is important that we improve in these areas; SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). This is what we want to address in UNYA Denmark. Think sustainable and encourage others to do the same and I will grow and learn how to be more sustainable in my travels. Do your best and we will be able to make a change!
To learn more about the impacts of tourism:
What’s the problem with overtourism?
Local governments in Japan battle overtourism challenges