Topic > Unsustainable Tourism Case Study - 1503

The economy of tourist destinations can be unstable and show clear fluctuations in prices and seasonal workforce. In Gambia, for example, almost 30% of citizens depend on tourism to earn a living (OECD, 2009). Tourism development has caused prices to increase by 8% in Belize (UNEP, 2006). Dependence on tourism for economic development is another serious problem, especially for developing countries. For these countries, they may find that tourism is the best way to gain immediate profits, so they devote too much attention and investment to promote their development. This results in the dependence on tourism for the development of the economy. Malta is a country of 380,000 residents, but in 1999 it was visited by 1.2 million tourists; tourism contributes approximately 40% to GDP directly and indirectly (UNEP, 2006). Furthermore, the environmental and social impacts of unsustainable tourism will cause economic consequences, requiring increased costs to compensate for the destruction caused by tourism on the environment and