Sustainable Mountain Development - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 611

ernment is likely to provide greater subsidies or transfer payments (e.g., for ecosystem
services) and other resources for mountain regions, and that the private sector is more
likely to invest there. Steady economic growth also provides opportunities to absorb
surplus mountain labor through out-migration, though this must be balanced with the
increasing stresses on those who remain. Finally, a growing national economy creates
demand and access to markets for mountain products, and promotes the diversification
of mountain livelihoods. These issues are addressed further in the section on mountain
policies, but a crucial conclusion is that the social and economic conditions of mountain
areas are inextricably linked to their national contexts, and through these to an increas-
ingly globalized world.
FIGURE 12.6 Host to over 20,000 visitors on peak days, Grindelwald, in the Bernese Oberland, Swiss
Alps, has largely maintained its rural character, while the local economy is totally dependent on
tourism. (Photo by Grindelwald Tourism, Jungfrau Region.)
Tourism and Amenity Migration
TOURISM
Over the past century, and particularly since the Second World War, tourism has become
a major force of change in mountain areas (Price et al. 1997; Godde et al. 2000; Dérioz
and Bachimon 2009). Tourism has become one of the largest and fastest-growing eco-
nomic sectors in the world, with particularly strong growth in emerging and develop-
ing countries. It has been estimated that 15-20 percent of this, or $128-170 billion a
year, is associated with travel to mountain areas (Kruk et al. 2007; UNWTO 2011). With
over 540 million overnight stays per year, the European Alps (Fig. 12.6) are the second
largest tourist destination in the world after the Mediterranean region (UNWTO 2011).