Tourism-based Economy Research Articles

The cone snails of Cape Verde: Marine endemism at a terrestrial scale

Cape Verde in the Eastern Atlantic is typical of many island groups in supporting a wealth of endemic species both terrestrial and marine. Marine gastropod molluscs of the genus Conus, commonly known as cone snails, occur in coastal tropical waters throughout the globe, but in Cape Verde their endemism reaches its apogee with 53 out of 56 species occurring nowhere else, the majority of which are restricted to single islands and frequently to single bays. However, Cape Verde is rapidly moving to a tourism-based economy with a projected boom in infrastructure development often coincidental with the shallow-water habitat of many range-restricted Conus. The conservation assessment of Conus to standards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species, found that 45.3% of 53 species assessed from Cape Verde are threatened or near-threatened with extinction compared to 7.4% of 579 species in the rest of the world. The only three Conus species globally assessed as Critically Endangered and on the cusp of extinction are all endemic to Cape Verde. Our analysis of Conus species distribution, together with spatial data of coastal protected areas and tourism development zones, identify important areas for future research and new marine protection. Our findings show that endemism with its associated risks for Conus in Cape Verde has worldwide parallels with many non-marine taxa, while our proposed strategy for Conus conservation extends beyond the confines of the country and this taxonomic group.

Shifting demand for winter outdoor recreation along the North Shore of Lake Superior under variable rates of climate change: A finite-mixture modeling approach

Many communities located in natural resource rich landscapes have transitioned to tourism-based economies. This transition might not be sustainable, as climate and environmental change have unknown effects on the visitation patterns of outdoor recreationists and tourists. We address this uncertainty by estimating shifts in the demand for outdoor recreation destinations along Minnesota's North Shore region of Lake Superior under a range of projected climatic and environmental conditions. We also employ a finite-mixture modeling approach to capture the preference heterogeneity across North Shore visitors. Our findings indicate projected climate and environmental changes are not likely to significantly affect visitation patterns in the next 20years. However, utilizing a finite-mixture modeling approach enabled us to identify distinct types of visitors with divergent visitation behaviors under altered climate and environmental conditions. Our findings suggest that the demand for outdoor recreation along the North Shore will be relatively stable in the near future, however different types of visitors will respond to warming winter conditions in divergent ways. Shifting visitation patterns under climate and environmental change may have more drastic alterations to the economic well-being of the region under a longer planning horizon.

The fishing footprint of a tourism-based economy: displacing seafood consumption from local to distant waters in the Balearic Islands

Since the Balearics are one of the key tourism destinations in Europe, the tourism industry has entailed a radical transformation of coastal life on the islands. In the 1960s and 1970s, fish captures increased enormously due to the expansion of consumption derived from tourism, and through technological improvements. There has been a change in target species from cheap fish consumed by local people towards expensive species consumed by tourists. However, since the 1980s a combination of factors including the adoption of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, the globalization of trade, and overfishing of some target species has led to a drastic fall in fishing sector jobs, catch reductions, and an increase in cheap imports. This article analyses the transformation of Balearic fisheries combining ecological economics (EE) and political ecology (PE) approaches. Material flow accounting (MFA) and the ecological footprint (EF) are applied in order to conceptualize the biophysical dimension of fisheries in relation to the historical dynamics of capital in the archipelago. Between 1940 and 2012, total fish catches doubled the official landings, while nonreported or hidden catches were underestimated. In the neoliberal period (1990-2012), fish catches decreased and seafood consumption was satisfied mainly through imports, five times the local captures. Thus, the metabolism of fish consumption in the Balearics illustrates the logics of capital and its metabolism in advanced capitalist regions, characterized by the displacement of socio-ecological conflicts to distant waters.Keywords: Balearic Islands; tourism; fisheries; material flow accounting; ecological footprint.

An R&D-Based Endogenous Growth Model of International Tourism

According to the tourism area life cycle (TALC) model of Butler (1980), the evolution of a touristic destination follows an S-shaped curve which is upper-bounded by its carrying capacity, usually assumed to be a fixed constant. This forecast prevents a tourism-based economy from maintaining positive growth rates in the long run. However, infrastructures, transportation networks, accommodation facilities and the variety of attractions can be broadened to increase the tourism carrying capacity. In this paper, innovation is the motor of carrying capacity growth. The model follows the tradition of R&D-based endogenous growth models and allows the long-run sustainability of economic growth in a tourism-specialized economy. Along a balanced growth path, the income from tourism grows at the same rate as the innovation, and the carrying capacity will grow as the rate of innovation surpasses the foreign economic growth rate. The long-term growth of the economy depends on the real exchange rate.

Considering disaster vulnerability and resiliency: the case of hurricane effects on tourism-based economies

In this study, we examine the vulnerability and resiliency of 10 tourism-based regional economies which include US national parks or seashores (situated on the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean coastline) affected by several hurricanes over a 26-year period. The vulnerability of each economy to natural disasters was estimated using a panel linear model, while resilience was estimated by employing a negative binomial panel regression and a difference-in-difference model. Natural disaster damage, related to physical damage and human loss, was shown to have a negative effect on regional economies. Regions with stronger economies prior to natural disasters have lower disaster losses than regions with weaker economic characteristics. More effort to improve regional economic conditions before natural disasters is necessary to minimize disaster loss. Lessons learned from the economic impacts of past natural disasters, in particular in tourism-based regions, can help regional planners and policy makers predict problems related to disasters and more effectively prepare for future events.

On the carrying capacity and the optimal number of visitors in tourism destinations

Tourism specialization on the one hand may be a successful tool to achieve fast economic growth, and, on the other hand, may be detrimental for natural resources. Finding the right balance between economic benefits and environmental costs is essential to reach sustainable development, ensuring that tourist numbers do not exceed the carrying capacity of the tourism destination. In this context, the author analyses the determination of the optimal number of visitors in a tourism-based economy and shows that if the tourist number is optimally determined long-run sustainable growth will be possible. He also shows that the optimal number of tourists is strictly smaller than the carrying capacity of the tourism destination, and that such a condition is vital to achieve long-run growth.

Kingdom of the Netherlands—Curaçao and Sint Maarten

KEY ISSUES Context: The union’s current account deficit—the key economic vulnerability flagged in the previous (2011) consultation—has declined over the past few years, including thanks to fiscal adjustment in Curaçao. But it remains large. Curaçao’s growth and job creation remain lackluster, due to weak competitiveness, adverse sectoral trends (e.g., in the international financial center), red tape, and rigid labor laws. Sint Maarten’s tourism-based economy is recovering but remains vulnerable to shocks and suffers from weak administrative capacity—as underscored, for example, by weakening tax collection. Risks: Both Curaçao and, especially, Sint Maarten are exposed to shifts in tourism demand. Curaçao is vulnerable to the uncertain situation in Venezuela, its main trading partner. If long-discussed flexibility- and competitiveness-enhancing structural reforms are not implemented, both countries’ capacity to absorb shocks may prove limited, and pressures on FX reserves and, ultimately, the peg may intensify. Policy recommendations: Fiscal policies should entrench recent gains to facilitate continued external adjustment (especially in Curaçao) and build buffers against shocks. Curaçao should extend the reform of its pension system to public sector workers, further streamline its administrative apparatus, and address weak governance and finances in state companies. Sint Maarten needs to increase revenues to support an expanding administration, including through stronger tax collection and greater contribution from its profitable state companies. The common central bank must monitor closely the deterioration in banks’ loan portfolios and refrain from direct financing of non-financial companies. It should also use more standard sterilization tools to control banks’ excess liquidity. Urgent action is required to lower the cost of doing business and remove pervasive disincentives to both supply and demand of labor.

Spatial differentiation of tourism impact based on the perception of residents in mountainous valley resorts

Valley economy is a type of economy that comprehensively utilizes the natural economic and social resources of the region based on environmental protection. This economy utilizes the basic role of the market in disposing resources and achieving regional development and social progress. In this paper we studied the town of Yanqi, a valley resort that has developed tourism-based valley economy for several years in the mountainous area of Beijing. This research identifies the spatial differentiation of tourism-related economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impact and level of support for tourism according to the perception and attitude of residents of Yanqi. The research area was divided into three zones(i.e., core, transition, and peripheral)according to the standard proposed by Jaakson. The residents in all three zones showed a positive attitude toward the tourism industry, and the residents in the core zone had a stronger perception toward the impact of tourism. However, several items indicated the converse. Correlation analysis and analysis of variance were used to explore the correlative factors associated with the attitudes of residents toward the tourism industry. Results indicated major differences among the three zones. Multiple factors, including natural conditions, policies, scenic spots, dependence on the tourism industry, and external investment in the three zones resulted in the spatial differentiation of the perception and attitude of residents toward the impact of tourism.

Green and golden seaweed tides on the rise

Sudden beaching of huge seaweed masses smother the coastline and form rotting piles on the shore. The number of reports of these events in previously unaffected areas has increased worldwide in recent years. These 'seaweed tides' can harm tourism-based economies, smother aquaculture operations or disrupt traditional artisanal fisheries. Coastal eutrophication is the obvious, ultimate explanation for the increase in seaweed biomass, but the proximate processes that are responsible for individual beaching events are complex and require dedicated study to develop effective mitigation strategies. Harvesting the macroalgae, a valuable raw material, before they beach could well be developed into an effective solution.

The Impact Of Tropical Deforestation On River Chemical Pollution

The objective of this study was to provide a quantitative description of the impact of converting tropical forests into pastures for cattle grazing in terms of the sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations at the outlet of a river basin located in North West Costa Rica. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was utilized to model the watershed. The graphs for pollutant concentration vs. percent area of the watershed under pasture showed a monotonic increase in concentrations as deforestation increased. Contaminant levels for the entire watershed as grassland were between 3 and 8 times higher than for the total area as forest, which could put at risk the drinking water supply and the tourism-based economy of the region. Keeping the current percentage of area under grassland constant, but restricting pastures to the less fragile and more fertile lands could decrease the sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations at the main watershed outlet by more than 35%, 12% and 21%, respectively, as compared to the predicted pollutant concentrations for the current land cover distribution. The effect of varying cattle stocking rates resulted in lower sediment and nitrogen run-off for areas with higher animal loads in which confined operations are used part of the year.

Welfare and Environmental Degradation in a Tourism-Based Economy

This paper presents an endogenous growth model for a tourism economy that takes into account the particular interrelationships between natural and physical capital, the production of tourist services and environmental degradation. The model considers both infrastructure and environmental attributes as production factors, characterized by a predator–prey relationship arising from the negative influence of the development of physical infrastructure on the natural capital. A general condition for economic sustainability is derived from the model analysis. In addition, the transitional dynamics obtained by using specific functional forms depict the empirically observed tourist life cycle and extend the optimal paths obtained from the classical Ramsey model to the context of tourism-based economies strongly dependent on fragile environmental resources.

Evaluating wire-snare poaching trends and the impacts of by-catch on elephants and large carnivores

Wire snare poaching is widespread in Africa yet snaring trends, patterns and the impacts of by-catch on non-target threatened species such as elephant (Loxodonta africana), lion (Panthera leo) and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) are poorly understood. We conducted retrospective analyses of data from 1038 anti-poaching patrols conducted in Zambia’s Luangwa valley from December 2005 to November 2010, to evaluate snaring dynamics and the effect of season, patrol size and length on snare detection. We also assessed impacts of by-catch on elephant, lion, and wild dog populations critical to the area’s wildlife tourism-based economy. Snaring mortality increased overall elephant poaching offtake by 32%. Approximately 11.5% of the adult and subadult lion population and 20% of the adult (>4years) males were snared. Snared dogs occurred in 67% of packs (n=6), comprising 14–50% of adult and yearling pack members (median=20%) and 6–16% of a resident population (median=6%) already at minimum viable pack size (mean=5.6). Evidence for seasonal and annual trends differed by patrol type, yet substantial evidence of positive interannual and seasonal trends in snaring existed and there was no evidence of a decreasing trend. Because patrols are intended to reduce poaching and enforcement is adaptive toward increasing snare detection, evaluations of snaring trends from patrol data are potentially confounded; thus we recommend that a portion of the overall patrol effort for anti-poaching should be devoted to non-adaptive surveys under fixed, well-designed protocols to enable unbiased tracking of snaring trends over time and objective evaluation of anti-poaching and community conservation efforts. In addition precautionary management emphasizing increased law enforcement is essential to protect existing wildlife-based economies and resources.

Human Trafficking in Florida: The Role of Applied Anthropology in Addressing the Problem and Response

Human trafficking is a pervasive issue in the United States (Florida State 2003:16). While an estimated 18,000-20,000 persons are trafficked across the nation's borders each year, this may be a dramatic underestimation of actual occurrence due to the hidden nature of human trafficking crimes and the fact that this number does not include domestic trafficking incidents (Florida State 2003:16). Federal anti-trafficking legislation defines "trafficking in persons" to mean those compelled into commercial sex acts (sex trafficking) or labor and services (labor trafficking) through force, fraud or coercion (United States Congress 2000). Although exact data regarding the incidence of human trafficking in Florida are currently unavailable, it is considered a lucrative trafficking hub—often being cited as one of the top three states in which the crime occurs. This is principally because of its agriculture- and tourism-based economy, two industries in which trafficking can thrive with relatively little resistance (Florida State 2003:27). Indeed, Miami International Airport has ranked among the "top points of entry for trafficking" since as early as 1999 (Florida State 2003:28). The lack of comprehensive data also precludes a clear picture of the demographics and nationalities of all trafficked persons in Florida, but figures from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops provide a snapshot of certified victims of trafficking who are receiving federal benefits. In a four-year period ending August 2010, 274 trafficked persons received federal benefits; of these individuals, 127 were female, 147 were male, and the top five nationalities were those from Haiti (81), the Phillipines (65), Mexico (42), Guatemala (13), and Honduras (12) (Florida State 2010:39-40).

Freshwater Resources in the Insular Caribbean: An Environmental Perspective

Les îles caribéennes possèdent une grande variété de conditions liées à l’accès aux ressources en eau, y compris celles ayant des rivières asséchées et d’autres disposants de fleuves à naviguer. L’utilisation des ressources en eau douce et potable dans cette région est soumise aux facteurs suivants : 1) les besoins d’une population croissante et ceux de l’industrie agricole intéressée, 2) les exigences d’une économie touristique où la consommation d’eau comprend un usage à des fins de loisirs et esthétiques. Les stratégies de la gestion formelle et informelle de l’eau mises en place dans la région sont basées sur des pratiques individuelles et culturelles de la société et sur des programmes gouvernementaux. Il est important de signaler que plusieurs îles de la région ont déjà une gestion intégrée des ressources hydriques ; cependant, long est le chemin à parcourir en ce qui a trait à une gouvernance sociale de ces ressources et à des investissements solides en termes d’infrastructures vers une meilleure intégration de l’environnement et une gestion adéquate de cette ressource. Dans ce manuscrit nous présentons un résumé sur la description de l’environnement naturel autour de la question de l’eau, des recommandations et des opportunités pour améliorer la gestion des ressources en eau dans la Caraïbe en tenant en compte du contexte environnemental particulier de la région.

Sunbelt by the Sea

Histories of the Sunbelt have tended to overlook the emergence of leisure and tourism-based economies and their transformative effects on coastal populations and ecosystems. This article follows the demise of Princess Anne County, Virginia, a rural, agricultural county in tidewater Virginia, and the rise of Virginia Beach, the “world’s largest resort city,” from the early twentieth century to the present, as experienced by the African Americans who lived, and worked on, and steadily lost, the land. Through this case study, the author outlines a framework for analyzing the social and environmental dimensions of the Sunbelt revolution and for locating the place of coastal metropolises in the making of modern American political culture. It shows how contests over municipal incorporation and land use and development policy deeply informed civil and property rights movements on a local level, while also underscoring the extent to which these two movements shaped and influenced each other. By drawing attention to the conditions and outlooks of African American farmers, small landowners, and service workers in the twentieth-century coastal South, this article also highlights broader changes in the political economy and ecology of race, space, and power that accompanied the rise of the Sunbelt, and shows how these changes were mediated through leisure space and leisure-based economies.

A market-based proposal for encouraging water use efficiency in a tourism-based economy

Barbados is almost wholly reliant on groundwater as its source of water largely due to replenishment during the wettest 1–3 months of the year. Annual renewable freshwater resources place it in the top 15 of the world's most water scarce countries. Acknowledging the scope of the problem, government officials have noted that the amount of water available for economic activity has become very limited and might therefore affect future development. Most of the proposed measures to date have focused on mains replacement and increased energy efficiency but little thought has been given to demand-side management. This study therefore attempts to provide a framework for managing the water resources in the island's single largest industry: tourism. It is conceptualised that a system of tradable permits would not only enhance the management of water resources, but should also reduce the cost of water resources to hotels.

Contaminants in the coastal karst aquifer system along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Intensive land development as a result of the rapidly growing tourism industry in the “Riviera Maya” region of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico may result in contamination of groundwater resources that eventually discharge into Caribbean coastal ecosystems. We deployed two types of passive sampling devices into groundwater flowing through cave systems below two communities to evaluate concentrations of contaminants and to indicate the possible sources. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products accumulated in the samplers could only have originated from domestic sewage. PAHs indicated contamination by runoff from highways and other impermeable surfaces and chlorophenoxy herbicides accumulated in samplers deployed near a golf course indicated that pesticide applications to turf are a source of contamination. Prevention and mitigation measures are needed to ensure that expanding development does not impact the marine environment and human health, thus damaging the tourism-based economy of the region.

Global competitiveness measurement for the tourism sector

International tourism is expected to be a major vehicle of economic development in industrializing countries in the twenty-first century. Countries with tourism-based economies must develop approaches for employing their comparative advantages to achieve competitive advantages. However, competitiveness in the tourist industry is multi-dimensional and complex. This study proposes that the competitiveness of a tourist destination should be composed of (1) Ricardo's comparative advantages (RCA), including the conditions of natural endowments (exogenous comparative advantages) and the degree of technological change (endogenous comparative advantages); (2) Porter's competitive advantages (PCA), explaining the increase in trade among countries with similar factorial portfolios than in trade pattern determination; (3) tourism management, providing high-quality education and training to enhance RCA and PCA; and (4) environmental conditions, including the domestic and the global environmental conditions. Analytic hierarchy process is employed to weight these evaluation dimensions, elements, and indicators in the proposed tourism competitiveness measuring model, and application discussions are also given.

The Creation and Management of Protected Areas in Monteverde Costa Rica

Abstract At present, nature conservation depends heavily on protected areas to limit the destruction caused by human activities such as land clearing, logging, and urban development. Yet despite their importance and widespread use, the general public and policy makers frequently maintain a simplistic and static conception of protected areas. Often, the mental model of protected areas consists of a “one-size-fits-all” park – a fenced off area of land designed to protect “nature” from humans. In reality, however, protected areas are multifaceted, fluid entities that result from a confluence of people’s ideas about what these areas are expected to accomplish and for whom they serve. Although protected areas sometimes do take the “fenced-off” approach, they take many other forms reflecting societal trends in conservation practice. History belies the idea of one standard type of protected area for all places and all times. The area around Monteverde, Costa Rica, offers a distinctive case study of the development of protected-area conservation. Beginning in the 1950s with the arrival of American Quaker settlers, residents have created a protected area network that has grown and expanded to reflect the changing constituencies of the region: agriculturalists, biologists, international conservation groups, and tourists. The protected areas now safeguard local watersheds, protect endangered species and biodiversity, and provide the framework for a dynamic tourism-based economy. Many scholars look at Monteverde’s protected-area experience, particularly the development of nature-based tourism, as evidence of the area’s success in conserving its natural resources and improving standards of living. However, it is problematic to use Monteverde as a direct model for successful conservation and development. The protected-area network grew out of a half-century of conservation initiatives driven by various local and international constituencies. Monteverde residents themselves have painted a balanced picture of the area’s challenges, including successful conservation and a rise in living standards as well as rapid and unplanned tourism development, socioeconomic imbalances, and threats to the ecological integrity of the region. The Monteverde experience underscores the possibilities and challenges inherent in achieving multiple conservation and development goals through protected areas.

Tourism Specialization and Environmental Sustainability in a Dynamic Economy

This study focuses on the dynamic behaviour of a small open economy specialized in tourism based on natural resources. The author analyses the steady-state properties in two scenarios, with and without public abatement expenditures, and a unique local saddle-point equilibrium is found for both cases. The analysis of the dynamics provides an alternative explanation for the observed positive growth performance of small open tourism-based economies and for the worldwide increases in tourist inflows, which are seen as transitional phenomena towards the path to the steady state. Moreover, in defining the conditions under which tourism development, improvements in environmental quality and economic growth can simultaneously occur, the model provides theoretical microfoundations for sustainable tourism. Finally, in both scenarios, the author analyses the issue of market failures, taking into account two different kinds of externality and finding the respective optimal tax rates that will induce private agents to replicate the social optimum.