Social Impacts of Tourism TOMG200 Tourism Management & Environment

Definition of ‘society’ “the social relationships that exist between people with a common interest” “the arrangement of social relationships in a group” (Hall & Lew, 2009: 141) Tourism is a cultural phenomenon that impacts culture and society, and is shaped by cultures and society

Potential positive social impacts Generation of incomes and jobs; higher living standards Increased community pride Construction of new and improved facilities Modernisation of the family via new gender roles Broadening social horizons and reduced prejudice among tourists Global understanding and international peace

Positive impacts Keeps local traditions and culture alive Empowers marginal societal groups – women, indigenous peoples Cross-fertilisation of different cultural backgrounds Reduces dependency on illegal commodities (e.g. drugs).

Potential negative impacts Polarisation of social structure and increased income inequalities; benefits not evenly distributed Disintegration of the family and traditional value structures Tourists fail to respect local norms or behaviour, customs and moral values Social pathology, including prostitution, drugs, crime.

Implications The tourist resort is not just a geographical location - It reflects norms and attitudes that become exposed through the type of tourist development that is being permitted.

Social impacts - norms The nature of that culture. Reflects not only norms, but the power and political structures Host communities are not homogeneous

Determinants of tourism impacts Numbers of visitors Ratio of visitors to host Cultural and economic differences between hosts and guests (social distance) Presence or absence of seasonality Places of contact Nature of contact

The processes of social impact The Demonstration Effect (Doxey 1972) The introduction of new behaviours and different values in a destination community as a result of tourism Imitation by locals of behaviours displayed by tourists The behaviours are seen as having value for hosts; can result in a shift in social structure The issues – economic inequality and power.

The processes of social impact Irritation Index (Doxey 1975) The attitudes of local residents toward tourism unfold through a series of stages over time: EUPHORIA APATHY ANNOYANCE ANTAGONISM FINAL/NORMAL REALISM (Hall & Lew, 2009)

How are social impacts measured? There is a need to find indices that are measurable.

Possible indices to measure the social impact of tourism Population changes Employment changes Displacement and relocation effects Neighbourhood disruption Noise impacts Aesthetic Impacts Land use patterns

Possible indices to measure the social impact of tourism Accessibility changes Leisure/recreation impacts Health and safety Citizens’ reactions Crime statistics Stressful community growth Community decline

Encounter indices Visitor perception of impact on the environment Amount of litter / rubbish in the area Visitor satisfaction measures Host reports of undesirable visitor behaviour

Encounter indices Host satisfaction Visitor reports of undesirable tourist behaviour Host reports of undesired social and environmental impacts

Types of questions being used Tourism is good for the local economy … Tourism provides many jobs … Tourism will help the area by encouraging interest in local Maori culture …. Tourism led to more petty crime …. Local residents are the people who mainly suffer from living in a tourist area ….

Types of questions being used Tourism means a growth in property prices beyond the reach of younger local people … I feel we should severely limit growth to protect the environment …. I feel that the tourism/planning authorities should consider plans to restrict the growth of tourism ….

This week’s reading: Chapter 4 of Hall & Lew (2009)

Other reading resources: Faulkner & Tideswell (1997) A Framework for Monitoring Community Impacts of Tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 5(1), Deery, Jago & Fredline (2012) Rethinking Social Impacts of Tourism Research. Tourism Management, 33, Waitt (2003) Social Impacts of The Sydney Olympics. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(1), King, Pizam & Milman (1993) Social Impacts of Tourism. Host Perceptions. Annals of Tourism Research, 20,

Case Study: The Social Impact of Tourism in Thailand Watch the film: The Impact of Tourism Thailand G155.T5I G155.T5I = Individual Discussion Question (2): What are the social impacts of tourism in Thailand?