Negative Effect Of Mass Tourism.

Landscape with house.
Antonio Guirado.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Antonio_Guirado

Another grey, rainy day, we seem to be getting spring weather now, after we had summer in spring.

 I think this is because of global warming, destruction of the planet, purely it seems for short term profit.

We watched a program on BBC TV last Sunday about the negative effects of tourism, the program followed Stacey, a young woman on holiday in Kenya.

Stacey was enjoying an all inclusive holiday, which meant she could eat and drink as much as she wanted, plus go on excursions.

It became clear that the money that people pay for all inclusive holidays often stay in the country where it is paid as many holiday resorts are owned by overseas companies.

The money paid by the tourist does not enter the local economy at all, Stacey discovered that staff at her hotel were working ten hours a day for 3,60 (pounds).

Stacey was taken to see where staff lived; it was shocking to see the shacks they lived in, the dirty water, the sewage and the overall miserable living conditions.

She also was taken to another hotel compound, where workers were sacked when they asked for their wages, after they worked for a year and three months without pay.

Trying to talk to management did not resolve the situation, so Stacey contacted the Minister for Tourism, who got the money paid out.

Stacey also visited a golf resort that had built a wall which stopped village’s access to clean water.

They had built a water pump in the village which did not ever work, so villagers were walking ten miles for dirty water.

This situation was resolved as soon as Stacey spoke to an embarrassed manager; he got the pump fixed immediately.

The next day Stacey was taken to see a Masai village, the tribe were driven off their land by the golf resorts, now they earned their money performing for tourists.

Tourists ere brought there by hotel minibuses, each paid 40 pounds; the drivers gave them the money in front of the visitors.

Before they left the headman would see the drivers who demanded 37 pounds back, leaving the villagers with just 3 pounds.

Stacey went to the resort who were shocked at the news their drivers were doing this, this would be investigated, they also agreed to allow villagers to sell their goods at the resort.

Small victories but important ones for the people involved, what would be even better if people became aware what the effects of tourism are.     

All-inclusive holidays do nothing positive, it has many negative effects; people are driven off their tribal lands, denied clean water and exploited so that tourists can enjoy cheap holidays.