How can locals benefit from tourism

For people that work in the tourism industry, their jobs are only viable for a certain number of months, and after the season has ended, many are left without income.

Many of these jobs also lack the benefits that other sector jobs supply. Tourism workers are often left without insurance or pension. Not to mention, foreign businesses tend to overtake the companies present in these countries, forcing small businesses to shut down. As a result, foreign businesses keep the majority of profits from tourism, while local businesses lose their income. This hurts small businesses and local economies. As previously stated, the profit gained from tourism is often reinvested into the industry.

As such, many countries end up developing tourism hot spots while the rest of the country suffers. In these countries, there are visible socioeconomic gaps between the wealthy and the poor.

Focusing mainly on the tourism industry and places of mass attraction leaves disadvantaged communities at risk of financial instability. But local communities and organisations are not waiting for authorities to act. Community activists are organising to take control of tourism for themselves. A grassroots initiative from Amsterdam and Venice has resulted in Fairbnb.

Like Airbnb, Fairbnb offers a platform to book vacation rentals. Australia does not have the same level of overtourism that places in Europe are suffering. But pressures are building right around the country from Byron Bay and the Great Ocean Road to our bigger cities like Sydney and Melbourne.

Locals are complaining about housing affordability, congested roads and badly behaved tourists. Read more: Why Australia might be at risk of 'overtourism'.

Australia would benefit from strategies to reorient tourism to local well-being and control. Some promising examples already exist. The Yolngu Aboriginal operators have embraced tourism access but only under a visionary set of guiding principles.

Tourists can play their part by meeting local communities halfway. When buying souvenirs locally, you support the local handcrafters and their material providers. Inform your travellers to buy souvenirs from local communities and instruct your guides to not take travellers to larger commercial shops.

Thereby, make sure to explain about illegal souvenirs made from protected flora and fauna. For example, souvenirs made from poached ivory. Read more about illegal souvenirs. It ensures the money stays in the destination and that the local owner and employees financially benefit. It also directly supports the local farmers and food producers in the area. Besides supporting the local economy, eating locally is good for the environment.

Eating in a local restaurant is also a great experience for the traveller, who will be able to taste and explore the local cuisine. Besides buying from and employing locals, you can also support the local economy by donating to local projects.

You can choose to support a local project in every destination you offer and donate a fixed amount per traveller. Most travellers will want to contribute to a project in the destination they are visiting. You can also donate time or materials and the projects can be both social and environmental. Think about a local hospital, school or women empowerment center where you can contribute to. Or environmentally, you can support a wildlife sanctuary, a vegetable garden or tree planting project.

As a tour operator you have the opportunity to decide where your money and that of your travellers ends up. By spending your money locally and with the right people, you make sure the destination directly benefits from tourism. You give locals the opportunity to do business, to be more independent and to stimulate economic growth. Support the movement of good tourism: better places to live in, and better places to visit.

Hi, it is interesting to read posts like this. But, I wonder, are they ideas of yours, or there are some investigations or theory behind them? Hi Anvar, thank you for your comment! Benefits Social Benefits. Environmental Benefits Fosters conservation and preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources. Encourages community beautification and revitalization.

Could be considered a clean industry. Environmental Costs May threaten specific natural resources such as beaches and coral reefs or historical sites. May increase litter, noise, and pollution. Brings increased competition for limited resources such as water and land, resulting in land degradation, loss of wildlife habitats and deterioration of scenery.

Tourism seasonality Directly contributes to sewage and solid waste pollution. Emissions generated by forms of transport are one of the main environmental problems of tourism. Economic Benefits. Make Your Booking. Expand All Collapse All. Coursework Helpline El Raval. Edexcel A Exam. Assessment Scheme. Core Paper. Option Paper. B5 Environment. A1 Physical. A2 Human. DTM Change. A3 Economic. A4 Natural World. Climate Factors Climate Types. Distribution Adaptation Case Study. Barton on Sea.

Rhine Floods. Background Causes Effects Management Evaluation. East Anglia. Rain Forest. Timber Extraction. C7 Tourism. Multiplier Effect Causes Classification.