Essay Sample on Tourism Impact on Marginalized Communities: Benefits vs. Drawbacks

Introduction

Many countries depend on the tourism sector to raise enough foreign currency to support their operations. The communities in these regions benefit the most in case of increase in the number of foreign nationals visiting their country. However, the impact of tourism on marginalized communities is perceived differently by different people. While hosting of major world events in a country is beneficial to the country, counterarguments have been made on their impact on the lives of the poor communities in the nations.

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According to Scholtz, small communities benefit from tourism activities (1). The social and economic benefits derived are crucial for the well being of these communities. The government charges tourism fee from the foreigners and use the money to improve the living standards of these people. Apart from the funds received from these individuals the social benefits derived are immense and the surrounding communities enjoy the benefits of hosting the foreigners. The tourism management agencies of a country struggle to ensure that the tourism sector improves to guarantee that they derive maximum benefits from it. However, the tourism sector is dependent on the number of national events that a country is able to host. According to Joe Coscarelli and Melena Ryzik, the Fyre festival which never happened brought people from other states to the Bahamas for the festival prepared (2). A large number of people who turned up for the event is an indication that such events bring a lot of tourist into a country.

Small communities experience many problems in their daily life. The challenges include; overused, dilapidated infrastructure, Lack of new infrastructure development, Lack of investors, Poor relationship and communication between the municipality and residents, Businesses of a poor standard, Fragmented public support ((Scholtz, 3). The issues faced by marginalized communities are evident in all the small countries. However, these challenges are minimized by the tourism activities as it opens up the country for investors and nongovernmental organizations.

The social life of people is affected by the tourism sector whereby the locals can learn new ways of doing things from foreigners. Societal norms improve when the visitors and the host interacts. The hosting community is given the opportunity to give orientations to the visitors and teach them their culture. Each community is given equal opportunities to present their way of life to the tourists who not only enables them to remain deeply rooted in their traditions but also gives them a mean of raising cash to improve their standards of living. According to Scholtz, the small town's people have limited access to social amenities (1),. However, due to the sporting activities that are brought to them by the world organizers of sports and cultural activities. They are able to get help both from the government and non-governmental organizations. The NGOs are driven to these communities during the sporting events and they evaluate the lives of the people to know what they lack. The funds provided by these groups facilitate the improvement of the living standards of the small communities and the country.

The international event hosted in the countries where the small communities reside improves the political stability of the country (Scholtz, 2). Many small countries often suffer from political instability. However, the politics have to be streamlined by the international bodies and organizers of the sporting events to ensure that the security of the people attending the events is guaranteed. Countries such as South Africa have benefited from the national events which bring millions of people into the country. The political stability witnessed in South Africa today is among the best in the whole African continent. Countries that host international events have to be scrutinized to ensure that they are not under any internal or external threats. The security provided by international bodies is enjoyed by both the tourist and the hosting community.

The economic life of the small communities is improved by the tourism and international events hosted in their country (Scholtz, 2). The hospitality and hotel sectors reap immense benefits from the foreigners who visit their country. The international events which take place in a country once after long period yield a lot of benefit both for the community and the national government. Infrastructures such as roads, ports and airports are improved to facilitate easy movement of the tourists across the country. However, after the visitors leave the country, the infrastructures are left behind to be used by the locals.

Counter arguments have been made regarding the impact of sporting events and other festive hosted in different places in the world. Planning of events and failing to deliver as per the promise is a major drawback in the tourism sector. For example, the Fyre festival which was planned to happen in the Bahamas failed to deliver as per the visitor's expectations. The events planners had to apologize due to the destruction of their properties by a storm leading to unsatisfied clients (Coscarelli,Joe and Ryzik, Melena, 4). Planning of events in undeveloped regions is a major issue as the infrastructures have to be developed from scratch. A lot of resources are required to facilitate the events and sometimes the planners' challenges result in them selecting different places for the events.

According to Huaman et al., the Rio Olympics hosted in Brazil resulted in air pollution (1). The national events lead to overpopulation in the hosting areas during the events. The infrastructures in the region may not be enough to handle such an immense population. The air pollution affects both the tourist and the local communities. The air pollution issue leads to the closure of different manufacturing plants to reduce the impact of pollution. Based on the research by Huaman et al., the solution to environmental pollution is closing the factories during the sporting events (2).

Conclusion

Based on the arguments provided by the different scholars, hosting of major world events in a country is beneficial to the country. The benefits derived from the sporting events are more than the demerits experienced in the countries and the hosting communities. The social, political and economic impacts for the country and the community have substantial benefits to the small towns and the surrounding communities. Infrastructural development resulting from tourism is crucial for small communities that depend on the funds by foreigners.

Countries need to improve their tourism sectors by ensuring that the tourist attraction areas are in good condition. Infrastructures such as roads and beaches need to be improved to ensure that the tourists yield maximum benefit from the events planned in the country. The outcome of the party that never happened needs to serve as a teaching to the planners to ensure that they promise what they can deliver.

Works Cited

Coscarelli, Joe and Ryzik, Melena." Fyre Festival, a Luxury Music Weekend, Crumbles in the Bahamas."New York Times, 28 April 2019 p. 1-6

Huaman, Alex, et al.,"Atmospheric environment." 2019 p. 2

Scholtz, Marco ,"Tourism Management Perspectives." 2019 p.1-13