Global interdependence case studies

Question 1

Galapagos: Where are they located?

Answer 1

• Off the West Coast of Ecuador in South America

Question 2

Galapagos: Why are they a popular tourist destination and what makes them unique?

Answer 2

• Visitors to the island say the wildlife is often the most memorable part of their visit
• The Galapagos Tortoise, Galapagos fur seal and blue footed booby are all native to the islands
• The islands have an untouched feel
• An increasing number of tourists are learning to scuba dive in the Galapagos Marine Reserve
• A wealth of birdlife make it a popular destination with ornithologists

Question 3

Galapagos: What have the trends in tourist arrivals been?

Answer 3

• Between 2000 and 2009 and 2010 and 2019 the tourist arrivals almost doubled
  1990-1999: 533 thousand
  2000-2009: 1.2 million
  2010-2019: 2.2 million

Question 4

Galapagos: Environmental impacts of tourism

Answer 4

• Environmental impacts are arguably the most significant here
• Despite a focus on sustainability and conservation, plastic waste in the form of food and drink packaging is brought by tourists
• Cross-contamination is another issue, as large volumes of tourists who have been on other islands could introduce invasive species, putting 50% of the Galapagos’ land birds at risk of extinction
• Microplastics have been found inside fish caught off the galapagos and plastic is increasingly washing up on the shores of the islands

Question 5

Galapagos: Deeper dive into invasive species as an environmental impact

Answer 5

• 86$ million annually on controlling invasive species
• Island species in general are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to the small population sizes
• The majority of all extinctions that have occured on islands have listed invasive species as the primary cause
• Currently there are estimated to be 1,500 introduced species (not there when discovered in 1535) and were primarily brought over as livestock, ornamental plants or pets before their impact was known
• The Avian Vampire fly is of greatest concern, was introduced in 1960s and is present on 14 islands. They are parasitic off blood of birds at night during their larvae stage of growth

Question 6

Galapagos: Economic impacts of tourism

Answer 6

• Ecuador faces a significant national debt burden of 65.69 billion USD
• The Galapagos are now the province with the highest GNI per capita of ecuador
• The industry brings in 200$ million annually
• However, over 200 hotels were built from 2006 to 2017, leading to a major drop in prices and increasingly problematic leakages, decreasing natives’ ability to profit

Question 7

Galapagos: How much of Santa Cruz’s waste is recycled?

Answer 7

50%

Question 8

Galapagos: What is one solution to making tourism more economically and environmentally sustainable?

Answer 8

• Every tourist must be accompanied by a naturalist of Ecuadorian origin, keeping money inside the country and reducing leakages due to foreign tour operators
• Naturalists are an in demand profession that is hard to get into, requiring training and extensive knowledge of flora and fauna
• Naturalists guide tourists away from causing any potential harm to the ecosystem and ensure they comply with regulations
• They also report to local officials any problems such as waste buildup

Question 9

What is our case study for a tourist destination which has followed Butler’s life cycle model?

Answer 9

Calafell

Question 10

Calafell: Stage 1: Discovery stage

Answer 10

• Benefitted from the construction of a railway line with Barcelona in the 1880s as it is 50km south of the city
• However tourism took off in the 1970s with a large speculative boom when developers construted enfless rows of 6-storey apartments facing the sea and the 5km long, sandy, uninterrupted beach

Question 11

Calafell: Stage 2:Growth and development

Answer 11

• The construction of the promenade and completion of apartments attracted families from Madrid and Northern Spain in the summer months, with new businesses opening up to cater to this surge in demand

Question 12

Calafell: Stage 3: Success

Answer 12

• During the high seasons of the 70s and 80s the 5km stretch of coastline became fully occupied by tourists filling the newly constructed apartments

Question 13

Calafell: Stage 4: Problem/stagnation

Answer 13

• Calafell suffered from its own success, with the 70s and 80s speculative boom leading to the destuction of almost all of Calafell’s original seafront of fishing cottages
• The 6-storey apartments lacked character and charm and with increasing competition from other resorts in spain as well as the economic crisis the number of hotel rooms decreased by 17% from 1996 to 2006
• The immigrant population now represents 20% and is growing rapidly, filling some of the space left as the tourists’ interest declined

Question 14

Calafell: Stage 5: Decline or rejuvenation

Answer 14

• More sustainable strategies including rebranding Calafell as an all-year destination (Calafell tot l’any’) and promoting it as a family friendly destination have led to it earnign the “Family Holiday Destination Certificate” from the Catalan government in 2007
• Family-oriented accomodation, restaurants and Children’s clubs helped to earn it this certificate
• It also aims to attract “active tourism”, becoming the first resort in spain to offer Nordic Walking.
• Also offers free trekking and mountain biking with certified guides
• It has struggled despite these efforts to regain its position as a premier tourist resort and to extend the tourist season as effectively as Sitges

Question 15

Slovenia: How has tourism in Slovenia grown

Answer 15

• International arrivals more than doubled from 2010 to 2019
• Now contributes 6.5% of total gbp
• 10.6% of total workforce is in the tourism sector

Question 16

Slovenia: What type of tourism do they aim to create?

Answer 16

• Eco-tourism, the fastest growing sector in the last 30 years with a 20-30% year on year growth rate

Question 17

Slovenia: Benefits of tourism

Answer 17

• “Green permits” are given to hotels which focus on sustainability, particularly relevant as the types of travellers visiting Slovenia are eco-conscious and likely willing to pay more for a certified hotel
• A nationally driven tourism board means that there is less regional inequality as tourism is driven towards all regions, particularly as many tourists/cyclists wish to travel through multiple
• The added benefit of cultural preservation of festivals popular with tourists such as the cherry festival and visits to see local crafts and culture

Question 18

Slovenia: Drawbacks of tourism

Answer 18

• Tourism brings with it rubbish
• Although many travellers now wish to take the more eco-friendly rail route into the country, flights remain popular and, due to their enormous environmental impact, could make eco-tourism less sustainable than it may appear/ be advertised as

Question 19

Snipped study: Gastronomy and wine tourism

Answer 19

• Wine making in La Rioja, Spain, has an international reputation for quality wines
• There are over 200 visitable wineries in the region that bring in anywhere between £500 and £1,200 per person for a 3/4 day wine tour
• The region brought in 103.7 million euros in 2021
• In 2021 there were 460,000 visitors
• Although numbers seem large, wine tourism is popular for its small-group tours of local, artisan wineries, and will not suffer from the excessive growth that leads to stagnation as it hasn’t got the capacity and visitors are not looking for the “budget” experience

Question 20

Snipped study: Mass tourism in Goa: Discovery, growth, success

Answer 20

• In the 1970’s when Goa got its independence it became a popular “hippy” destination as tourists came looking for sun and solitude, with an indistry of yoga and ayurvedia ashrams opening and very little distruption to the culture and values of the state
• During the preparatory stage or the CHOGM meet in India and a visit by the pope in the 1986 Goa was placed on the international radar
• Steady increase in tourism between the 80s and early 2000s but was still seen as a time of great promise
• After 2010 government sources say “all hell broke loose” and it became overrun by tourists, with 5-6 million arriving annually, with the real number including those arriving by road or staying with friends said to be far higher

Question 21

Snipped study: Mass tourism in Goa: Problems

Answer 21

• Haphazard development and lack of regulation led to large numbers of the Goan population getting into tourism and real estate
• Cheap shopping, seedy bars, tattoo parlours and casinos began to proliferate
• Fights and in extreme cases deaths from fights occured
• One 5 star hotel uses the same amount of water as 3 villages and each guest the same amount of electricity daily as 28 locals

Question 22

Snipped study: Mass tourism in Goa: Decline/rejuvanation?

Answer 22

• Casinos contribute £37 million annually to the economy, and closing them is politically unpopular
• The government wants to attract wealthy foreign and Indian tourists now, and has issued closure notices to 85% of the beach shacks after they were found to be violating state pollution regulations
• However, these wealthy tourists are not coming and drugs, prostitution and garbage are keeping them away
• The lack of interest in Goa and its faliure is evidenced in the falling numbers of tourists, with an 82% drop in international tourist arrivals from 2018 to 2022, with travellers opting for Phuket or Bali after covid reset the travel industry