Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
alleviation and it cannot be a 'catch-all' justification for continuing business
as usual. There is a need to review tourism development in the light of the
wider systemic problems that face many LDCs. Given that the claim of
poverty alleviation is most important in the developing world, and this is
where the socio-cultural differences between host and guest are greatest, there
is much potential for social-cultural changes to cause further poverty. This can
arise as the host population, whilst lacking the skills to develop tourism oppor-
tunities, may be exploited as cheap labour. In addition, the exposure
to western cultures may lead to a breakdown of local traditions and systems
of mutual support. As with the economic development argument, this brings
into question poverty alleviation claims:
Tourism is too often regarded as a panacea - an economic,
social and environmental 'cure-all'. Globally, there is a lack of
convincing empirical evidence to justify the claim that increased
tourism development will lead to significant benefits for the
poor. (Chok et al, 2007, p146)
However, there are studies that show how tourism can be a positive force for
development (see, for example, Gursoy and Rutherford, 2004; Hall and Page,
2006; Meyer, 2009), but the benefits are not universal. Poverty has many com-
plex dimensions, and it is important to understand relative power relations of
key tourism actors (Zhao and Brent Ritchie, 2007) and consider that the rich
may gain most from tourism in the developing world (Hall, 2007b; Schilcher,
2007). It is also the case that the vast majority of studies, until relatively
recently, have focused on local rather than global issues (Gössling and Hall,
2006); therefore, some of the most significant environmental, social and eco-
nomic impacts of tourism have been overlooked. Such impacts accrue from
travel, which is seen as an inevitable component of tourism (Dickinson et al,
2010b), although the inevitability of travel is the subject of further analysis in
Chapter 4. Slow travel as a way of growing domestic markets in LDCs might
well be an appropriate option for development.
In summary, there is a limitation to the triple bottom line approach as
applied to tourism. The failings led the Davos Declaration to suggest a
quadruple bottom line approach (UNWTO, 2007), incorporating
climate
, eco-
nomic, social and environmental considerations. This is not the first time that
there have been calls to add other dimensions to the triple bottom line, with
health, spirituality and governance also being suggested in addition to the
three core elements (Mahoney and Potter, 2004). O'Connor (2006) argues
that a simultaneous balance between factors will be unlikely, and that it is
imperative to refer to the integrity within any system as well as to appraise the
ethics associated with it.
If a global analysis of tourism impacts is conducted, then claims of poverty
alleviation will continue to be contested on the grounds of climate change
(Nawijn et al, 2008; Peeters, 2009). It is therefore important that the tourism
sector clarifies the extent to which development potential exists, and this
should be on the basis of something akin to the quadruple bottom line
