ASSESSING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF MASS TOURISM ON MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS: A FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2.2023.5306Keywords:
Mass Tourism, Mountain Communities, Sustainable Tourism, Socio-Economic Impacts, Environmental SustainabilityAbstract [English]
This article studies of the socio-economic and environmental consequences of approach tourism for mountain regions—as ultimately addressed instances, by means of the Himalayas, Alps and Rocky Mountains backdrop. Mass tourism has proven to be a double-edged sword for mountain communities, with the economic opportunities provided are enormous whilst the environmental and socio-cultural implications of mass tourism are often profound. It also has the direct and indirect impacts, including job creation and infrastructure development through economic benefits, as well as loss of cultural values, land degradation and depletion of resources.
It is based on a factor of multidisciplinary, using different data collection techniques those are quantitative and qualitative methods. It employs case studies from the Himalayas, Alps and Rockies, including a combination of surveys, interviews and secondary data. This study utilizes the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), particularly focusing on how various capital assets—human, social, physical, financial and natural–interact with one another under tourism impacts. Additionally, Venn Diagrams and Bar Charts are used to visually present the impact scores of direct and indirect effects across the three case study regions, highlighting the complexities and variances in tourism's consequences.
Results shows that mass tourism has already been an engine for boosting local economies in mountain areas through job generation, raise of revenues and improvement of infrastructure but meanwhile is bringing severe environmental impacts like deforestation, biodiversity loss and water depletion. On a socio-cultural level, these destinations are dealing with phenomena like cultural commodification and demographic displacement, where tourism-oriented in-migration and the presence of temporary workers result in fluctuating permanent resident populations. Tourism is still identified as an important source of income, however reliance on this sector leaves them open to drastic changes in the number of holidaymakers arriving.
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