martedì 10 maggio 2016

TOURISM: THE RUIN OF VIETNAM





Vietnam is to be seen now, because in a few years it will completely change , the flow of mass tourism will increase and will change more and more small details that make this country unique, magical and unforgettable.

The tourism sector is growing strongly , thanks to substantial state investment .

In Vietnam, it's an important resource but also negative, tourism here brings a lot of great benefits to the economy, but at the same time it brings environmental degradation, especially biodiversity deterioration and pollution.

Tourism needs investment in human resource (ex. Tourist guides), management and plans focused on the natural environment care, but stakeholders have preferred to focus on infrastructure like hotels, resorts, restaurants and shops.

In the last few years, tourism sector in this country, is based on the short and simple mantra “ BIGGEST IS BEAUTIFUL”.

The search for a mass tourism at all costs has also overshadowed the attention to environmental sustainability.

Today many bulldozers are destroying the beauty of the country to adapt it to tourism. More casinos and other sightseeing attraction  for tourists are always built everywhere.

Conservationists lament that poorly planned construction of hydropower plants and coastal resorts is aggravating erosion.

The island's fate seems similar to that of other numerous destinations undergoing the throes of commercialization.

Unspoiled natural spaces become strewn with rubbish and marred by ham-fisted infrastructure projects. More and more natural beautiesare destroyed.


The government in Vietnam has taken preventive measures to avoid the destruction of the area. For example, the management board of Ha Long Bay has undergone extensive training and had developed a great management plan had in hand with UNESCO, but while nature-based tourism provides substantial incentive for environmental preservation, a lot of negative impacts result from the unmanaged influx of visitors in this country.

 
Without proper infrastructure, waste and other types of pollution will worsen more and more.

In addition, in Vietnam there are several types of culture which includes over 50 distinct ethnic minority groups.

Also in these communities there are negative impacts, especially cultural impacts, because with contact with the outside world they could lose important  cultural practices,  or, even worse, introduce dangerous practices such as illicit drugs, prostitution and consequent sexually transmitted diseases.

One of the most significant examples of un-sustainable tourism in this country is the Bay of Ha Long, in the north of Vietnam, where the uncontrolled invasion of tourists has increased the level of pollution.

Ha Long is a lovely place, unique in the world, one of the "7 wonders of the world", with its limestone formations, but at the same time it's also a "floating open dump". tourists, sailing between the islets, may notice the presence of smelly water full of trash: waste of tourists  and drain oils and liquids discharged into the sea from the baths of the numerous boats that day and night travel the Bay.

Today there is a supervision alarm to the reefs , which are disappearing due to water pollution. Ecologists and scientists define alarming water pollution in this area.

 
Another important example in Vietnam is Phu Quoc, one of the pearls of Vietnam, in the Gulf of Siam.

This town, for the growing increase in tourist flows,  is expanding very quickly its hospitality. Here, some people fear the onset of negative effects of mass tourism, the progressive overbuilding of the coastline and a general phenomenon of people's living style eradication. 

In Ha Long there is a very wide choice of accommodation. It ranges from simple hostels by the sea to large hotel chains.

If you want a trip in a beautiful nature, we don’t  recommendto go to Vietnam.

But if you like history and politics as identity of a people , this country is for you!y.
 

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SEX TOURISM ALL AROUND THE WORLD


In many countries, where prostitution is legal, you can find people who practice sex tourism, one of the largest criminal industries in the world. Usually it happens that tourists practice this type of tourism, they return home and resume their normal lives without thinking that they have been with a partners ( or evenchildren!). Nearly 2 million children around the world are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Children suffer from health problems including illnesses, addictions, malnourishment, infections, injuries, and STDs.

 

OUR COUNTRY

Italy is one of the most advanced European countries that fights child sexual abuse and exploitation. In fact, several legislative measures have been created to protect the physical and psychological integrity of children.

TYPES OF SEX TOURISM

1) sex tourism that is “promoted”. This is possible because in many countries prostitution is a legal activity ; 2) sex tourism in developing countries , where prostitution isn’t regulated by the law, but it’s controlled by an illegal system.

 

THE MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD:

The prostitution and the subsequent sex industry are tolerated in many countries, it’s obvious that sex with a minor is illegal in every country from every point of view (moral, ethic) and it’s everywhere forbidden by law.

 

·        LEGAL COUNTRIES

 

AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is the number one city for sex tourism in the Netherlands mostly because of  its famous red light district. The red light district is popular for every kind of tourist . Prostitution in Amsterdam is legal and regulated and that’s why here sex workers can practice in safer conditions.  

SPAIN

Prostitution is now legal in Spain and important cities like Ibiza, Madrid and Barcelona aren’t anymore destinations exclusively for night clubbing because the sex tourism activity is increasing. Now Spain is one of the biggest destinations In Europe for this tourism industry.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Many Caribbean countries like the Dominican Republic  are seeing a rise in sex tourism.  Prostitution isn’t  illegal here even if sex with minors is, and unfortunately the majority of sex workers here are mainly minors.

 

 

COLOMBIA

Even if the majority of sex tourism destinations are located in Southeast Asia, Colombia is another popular destination. The reason why this country is so popular is that prices can be lower if the client is attractive or a good negotiator. 

 

·        ILLEGAL COUNTRIES

 

CAMBODIA

Although Cambodia has very strict laws regarding prostitution the practice here is still extremely relevant, and that’s why Cambodia is a very popular destination for this type of tourism. One of the biggest problems that Cambodia has to deal with is child sex tourism. Due to very serious problems of  poverty, parents have to  sell their own children into sex slavery.  Even if it’s terrible many don’t have alternatives and are forced to do this. Most prostitutes come from the countryside which is very poor, many come from the surrounding countries like Vietnam. Here it is very easy to practice this kind of tourism because prostitution is very cheap, women value themselves five dollars or even less.

KENYA

Poverty is the main reason that forces many people to work in the sex tourism industry and like lots of other countries this is a problem that is very strong in Kenya. Prostitution among the poor has brought the spread of HIV because it happens that in the majority of cases young prostitutes aren’t aware about contraceptive methods. Many young girls in Kenya only use a condom 60% of the time. Despite the spread of illnesses, the Kenyan Tourism Police is doing nothing to discourage it.

PHILIPPINES

Prostitution is illegal and it’s often well punished in the Philippines. The main reason why prostitution and sex tourism are developed here is mostly because Filipinos are extremely tolerant of basically every kind of lifestyles. The majority of tourists only come here to practice sex tourism. We found an article,  written by Margaret Simons, where  she complains about children victims of sex tourism in the Philippines. We decided to focus on the beginning of it. The paper talks about Hadrian’s Extension, a particular area in Angeles City. This is the home of many  children with big dreams and hopes for their future. Due to this kind of tourism plenty of these children here have Australian fathers. At the beginning some of them actually paid to support the develop of their kids, but then they decided to stop and they cut off every connection they had with them. The saddest part is that some of them had never paid and some don’t even know that  they have a child there.

INDONESIA

Although prostitution is illegal in Indonesia, sex tourism is very efficient and popular especially because it is very easy to find a prostitute through the Internet.

THAILAND

Bangkok’s red light district is one of the most famous in the world and this is one of the reasons why Thailand is on the top of the list of the most popular destinations of sex tourism. . The tolerance of different lifestyles and prostitution is part of Thai culture. A big part of sex workers here are minors and a large number of them are victims of human trafficking, that means that they are forced to be prostitutes; nevertheless  there are also people who are sex workers by choice.

 





WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MASS TOURISM ?


Mass tourism is a form of tourism that involves tens of thousands of people going to the same resort often at the same time of year.

Mass tourism, in general has different aspects in the country where it takes place.

Here are different aspects of mass tourism:

PHYSICAL IMPACTS      

The impact of tourism reflect on the natural environment such as land, water, air, flora and fauna, mostly because of the people and different cultures. Infrastructures and facilities require a lot of space and land prices tend to rise were is increasing.

For example : the impacts to coral reefs from divers and snorkelers. They can be caused by damage from fin kicks, pushing or holding coral, dragging gear, and kneeling/standing on coral. Not all divers cause the same amount of damage.

 


ECONOMIC IMPACTS

·         on one hand tourism development increases both employment and income. The city of Bath is an example of tourism development with its annual $200 million of income which has a positive effect an infrastructures such as roads and public transport.

·         On the other, the seasonal and part-time jobs created by tourism are often underpaid. Unfortunately, the multinational companies often manage the tourist industry at the expense of the local  economy.

The development of tourism causes sometimes a rise in prices and this can be a problem for the local people, often penalized by an increase in the property prices too.


SOCIAL AND CULTURAL IMPACTS

The social and cultural impacts of tourism are the effects of the contribution of tourism that changes systems, social behaviour, family relationships, shared lifestyles, security levels, moral conduct, innovative language, conventional ceremonies and community organizations. “people impact” is very important, because host comunities are affected by it. It is necessary to have different points of view to explore and understand the impact of mass tourism.


 

ANIMALTOURISM IMPACT IN SOUTH AFRICA

 
LIONS:                                                                                                                  

 Within South Africa there are about 200 captive holding facilities, breeding lions are used exclusively for commercial use. Those facilities hold approximately 5.800 lions. The number of captive-bred lions in South Africa is believed to have doubled since 2005. It is very sad that today in South Africa  there are more captive lions than wild lions. Only a small part of south African wild life is held in free-roaming reserves.  Lion parks treat lions in captivity as a tourist attraction, like it is a oncein-a-lifetime experience, especially cubs are used to take pictures whit tourist and this generate major profits. They have a severe and negative impact on lion welfare and are of no direct conservation benefit.


TOURISM’S NEGATIVE EFFECTS IN ITALIAN ART CITIES

Venice residents, because of the huge number of tourists in the historical centre (about  350 per resident), are moving to the mainland, because the city is becoming a “ monument-attraction” rather than a living town. The visitors don’t help the economy of the city because they are essentially day-trippers or cruise-goers  who visit the city just for a few hours.. The Italian cities which attract the greatest number of tourists are Venice and Rome, other cities that host a lot of visitors are Milan and Florence.


 

WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?



 
 
 
Tourism is sustainable when it can last in an area for a long time without damaging it. Sustainable is synonymous with “eco-friendly.”
 
When we talk about sustainability, we have to consider three “pillars”: environmental, economic, and socio-cultural. Tourism has to be sustainable in all three areas.
 
Environmental sustainability
The environment is really important for tourism. The natural environment and the built environment must be preserved for an area to be sustainable. Environmental sustainability means preserve an area for future generations.
 
 
Socio-cultural Sustainability
When tourists start visiting an area, there are some social and cultural impacts on the host community. Local people may see increase in congestion and overcrowding in towns and cities, maybe an increase in crime, the introduction of new languages and values, and even an influx of migrant workers. Socio-cultural sustainability means minimizing these negative impacts and focusing on more positive ones, like promoting cultural exchange and preserving local traditions.
 
 
Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability means keeping the money local. A hotel or company owned and operated by a foreigner doesn’t contribute much to the local economy.
 
 
 
“Unsustainable” tourism might be okay from the point of view of the tourist, but it’s improbable to help or gain support from the host community: at the end of the day, everyone involved should be benefiting from it in one way or another.
Despite the slow but constant increase in the number of enterprises claiming to be responsible or green, the current system of mass international tourism is totally unsustainable.
 
 
Mass Tourism vs Developing Countries
 
In the top 20 favourite long-range tourist destinations there are 14 which are in developing countries but their infrastructures are generally more breakable than the others destinations already developed.
Some problems can arise when travellers keep their normal habits in places that simply can’t accommodate them.
The quantity of water that one tourist in one day uses is the same of the quantity of water that a villager use in a period of 100 days.
In the end this excessive use of water will be weighing on poor regions, which leave locals fighting to find clean water just for their vital needs.
 
How does mass travel affect the environment?
Tour companies, airlines, and other providers try to encourage large number of tourists to visit handful of selected places but consequently locals lose their unique cultural identities.
 
Then the mass can influence the degradation or maybe even the destruction of famous sites or fragile ecosystems.
 
In addition, one of the main contributors are greenhouse gasses (5% for tourism industry) which cause the change of the climate.
 
-RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL REPORT.COM
  Have a look at these cases of touristic “unsustainability”
The Situation Of Coastal Areas
The coastal areas are inclusive areas between the sea and the land, with a great variety of animals and plants among the most fragile of the planet. At the same time, coasts are consequently damaged by the fast urbanization. More than half of today’s world population live in coastal areas and this number is increasing. In addition to it coastal areas are those which are most visited by tourists and in many coastal areas tourism presents the most important economic activity.
How Does Tourism Damage Coastal Environment?
Massive influxes of tourists, often to a small area, have a huge impact. They add to the pollution, waste, and water needs of the local population, putting local infrastructure and habitats under enormous pressure. A development that has turned out to be a severe problem for many coastal areas in the last decade is the increase in cruise ship tourism.
 
HYSTORICAL PLACES BEING DESTROYED BY TOURISTS
Unfortunately tourism can also become a bad thing when tourists aren’t respectful to places they visit. In fact, several historical places have been ruined by tourists.
Here’s a top 10 from the less to the most destroyed.


Tourists are lucky to have full access to some of the oldest sites in the world and not only, it preserves important pieces of our essential identity, that’s why should we care!
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