The effects of tourism on culture and the environment in asia and the pacific Essay Example for Free

The effects of tourism on culture and the environment in asia and the pacific Essay INTRODUCTION AsiaPacific or AsiaPacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean. The region varies in size depending on context, but it typically includes at least much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The Asia-Pacific region covers a wide geographical area, with diverse landscapes, climates, societies, cultures, religions, and economies. More than half of the world’s population lives in this region, of which close to half live on less than a dollar per day. Hence, the region contains the worlds largest number of people living in poverty. Asia-Pacific region generally includes: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga Republic of China (Taiwan), Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, United States Territories American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Sometimes included India (member of the East Asia Summit), Mongolia (landlocked country in East Asia), Myanmar (Burma) (member of the ASEAN), Russia (the Russian Far East borders the Pacific Ocean). With its diversity as an asset, the region has enjoyed remarkable economic growth  in the last four decades. Several countries are experiencing rapid changes in economic development, population growth and urbanization, social transformation, and technological development, and these countries share common economic drivers. The expanding economy in Asia and the Pacific has brought about increased interdependence among the countries in terms of natural resources, finance, and trade. The economic expansion and population growth in Asia-Pacific over the last 40 years was underpinned by the region’s rich natural environment. The tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific is thriving, with the region accounting for 22% of inbound tourism arrivals in 2010. Noticeably, in 2010, China placed third in inbound tourism arrivals and fourth in inbound tourism expenditure in the world. In 2010, international tourism recovered more strongly than expected from the shock it had suffered in 2009 from economic recession and the global financial crisis. The estimated worldwide number of inbound tourism arrivals in 2010 was 940 million, up 6.6% over 2009 and 2.5% more than the pre-crisis peak in 2008. While some destinations are still struggling to come out of the crisis, the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific has been buoyant. The Asia-Pacific region had an increase in inbound tourism arrivals of 13% between 2009 and 2010, making the region a leader in the global recovery of tourism. In comparison with other regions across the globe, Asia and the Pacific had the second highest growth in inbound tourism arrivals in 2010 over 2009. The Middle East was the fastest growing region (up 14.1%) in 2010, following a significant drop (of 4.3%) in 2009; As ia and the Pacific posted only a modest drop of 1.7% in 2009. Inbound tourism arrivals were up 7.3% in Africa, followed by Americas (up 6.6%) and Europe (up 3.3%). In 2009, Africa was the only region where inbound tourism arrivals increased (by 4%). In Asia and the Pacific, for the first time ever, inbound tourism arrivals surpassed 200 million in 2010. Overall, the Asia-Pacific regional share of world arrivals rose by 1.2 percentage points in 2010, for a 22% share among the world’s regions. The successful marketing stories of India and Malaysia, the massive rail expansion in China, the new resort developments in Singapore and Macao, China and the revitalized policy of Japan towards tourism, as well as the â€Å"visit year† campaigns in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have helped buoy Asia-Pacific tourism. ASEAN has also adopted a long-term tourism strategy to help the development of the tourism  sector in the sub region. Tourism plays a very important role on a society because it is an aid to gain more income and to place many job opportunities to jobless individuals. Tourism therefore became the major income generator on the regions of Asia and the Pacific. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The problems stated in this research paper are the following: 1. Why the tourism industry trends much on the Asia-Pacific region? 2. What is the role of tourism on the economy of the region? 3. What are the positive and negative effects of tourism on culture and environment? 4. How does tourism affect livelihood on the region? 5. What is the significance of tourism on a country? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The main objective of the study is to gain an understanding of the nature of the effects of tourism on the local culture, environment and economy. The study purports: 1. To review the existing literature on tourism with an emphasis on the government policy and the present infrastructure of tourism; 2. To create a typology of tourism sites based on their similarities and difference; 3. To carry out in-depth case studies of two locations and to determine the impact of tourism on the people inhabiting those locations. 4. To come up with an answer and a solution regarding the problems that may arise in the particular event. 5. To increase the number of tourist arrivals. 6. To promote the environment, historical and cultural heritage and raise the quality of services and facilities related to tourism. 7. To develop the necessary infrastructure for the operation of efficient, safe, comfortable, and quality air services for the proper advancement of the tourism industry. 8. To gain more knowledge about the topic. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research is conducted for the researchers to gain more knowledge and to share to others what the ideas that they have gathered. The importance of this study is that we could gain more knowledge and understanding about the said topic. As citizens, it is our right to deeper our understanding on what is the connections of those things regarding on our daily life and activities. This is also intended to make everyone aware of the events that might go to happen regarding the subject, so that they will find also an easy way to go through it and synchronize them for a better environment adaptation. SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS The Effects of Tourism on the Culture and Environment in Asia and the Pacific is a research paper project which deals about the major issues regarding how tourism will affect the culture and environment of a specific region which includes its significance and the solutions regarding the problem. This study only covers on how tourism affects the regions of Asia and the Pacific regarding in the means of culture, tradition and environment. The study is largely based on secondary information. Therefore it is difficult to quantify the impact of tourism on the culture and environment. Though there have been numerous studies related to tourism, these studies pertain to specific locations, which are not representative of the region as a whole. Since interviewing the respondents was not based on any scientific sample surveys, the results do not correlate directly to the inferences which are drawn from the sample surveys. The study is conducted by the research team at the College of Communication, Information Technology, Calamba, Misamis Occidental.