Impacts of tourism

Resource presssure, habitat loss and pollution

The main potential adverse impacts of tourism on the environment include:

Greater pressure on natural resources.
Urbanization of coastline, sand mining, beach and sand dune erosion, and soil erosion lead to degradation and loss of wildlife habitats. Tourism development can be intensive. For example, three-quarters of the sand dunes on the Mediterranean coastline from Spain to Sicily have disappeared mainly as a result of urbanization linked to tourism development.

Recreational activities like scuba diving, snorkelling and sport fishing, lead to damage to coral reefs and subsequent impacts on coastal protection and fisheries.
Harm to habitats, with associated loss of biodiversity.
Disruption of habitats puts increased pressure on endangered species due to trade for species such as sharks and turtles.

If not properly planned and managed, nature tourism threatens the world's most ecologically fragile areas such as wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds. Development of new berths for cruise ships can also destroy these valuable coastal habitats. The massive anchors and chains have for instance gouged large chasms three to nine metres deep in parts of the Caribbean.
Pollution and wastes.
A tourist produces an average of about 1 kg of waste a day. This can lead to pollution from land-based hotels and marinas; and waste and litter linked with marine sports and cruises. For example in 1995, it was estimated that cruise ships in the Caribbean alone produced more than 70,000 tonnes of waste each year.