Discuss the effect that international tourism has on developing countries and suggest what measures can be taken to ensure sustainable tourism.

Tourism is one of the most profitable and growing sectors for the economy of many developing countries. Governments are aware both of this and the opportunities that lie within the industry, and wish to, with the combined effort of public and private sectors, focus on providing goods and services to international tourists for economic benefits to the country. Tourism creates jobs and eventually leads to a better standard of living for the country’s inhabitants. However, too much focus on economic gain can risk neglect in other areas and negate any progress. This essay outlines the effect of tourism in terms of the economic and environmental, social and political issues in developing countries.

The tourism industry in developing countries is constantly supported by various supplementary services such as the transportation services, travelling services, hospitality services and others. This indicates the vast range of industrial and economic integration of international tourism across the world. However, there is an on-going failure for economic systems to see the whole picture and to consider other aspects to implement correct development strategies to help ensure conservation, rather than just economic, short-term gain.

Tourism has consistently been shown to have a negative impact on the environment through land erosion, noise pollution, increased traffic, air and water quality and the disruption of natural habitats as little consideration is placed upon how tourism them (Fennell and Ebert, 2004). A similar issue is that many countries, such as those in the tropics, now rely on tourism as a key source of economic development. There are also countries that are seeking to significantly increase their tourism industry