Principles of Tourism: Socio-Economic, Environmental, Socio-Cultural Impact

* Socio-Economic Impact Puerto Princesa Underground River was declared as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011. Since then, tourist arrivals soared high and it still continues to grow at this moment. Local and Foreign tourists spend thousands of their hard-earned money just to experience the captivating view of The Underground River. As a result of that, business and other tourism related establishments generated a massive amount of income coming from tourist expenditures.

This big boost to the local economy really helped the people of Puerto Princesa since tourism service is one of the most reliable sources of their income. A lot of hotels and restaurants have sprung up around the place, and so jobs are created and opportunities are given to the people. Aside from that, income generated from local livelihood like, souvenirs and handicrafts have also added benefit to the community. As a whole, the socio economic impact of tourism in Puerto Princesa Underground River helped the locals get a better way of living though tourism generated income. Furthermore, better facilities are well underway and surely, investors will be keen on building more infrastructures.

* Environmental Impact Since the presence of people and establishments are continuously rising, the issue of responsible and sustainable tourism development comes into place. As of now, tourists are everywhere and the existence of vehicles is reaching its limits. Traffic and urban congestion is already being felt by many and yet, the city is still expanding. Rapid change is everywhere due to construction of new establishments around the city and pretty soon, it will be overcrowded. How much more after 5 years? 10 years? This large scale expansion may lead to the depletion of tourism resources. To prevent this, they must regulate tourist activities and operate only according to the carrying capacity of the place. They must not overdevelop, but instead, they should allow the city to grow and maintain a sustainable level of tourism. Aside from that, guidelines and policies must be strictly enforced.

* Socio-Cultural Impact Foreign tourist arrivals continues to rise every year. As a result of that, there will be interaction between the local community and the foreigners. This will create diversity and it will allow the locals and the foreigners to widen and refine their knowledge about each others’ culture. It may sound good, but the incursion of foreigners might also disturb the local culture and community, thus creating an enigma among the local people. Aside from that, locals might copy the lifestyle of tourists through demonstration effect which may result to the loss of cultural identity.