Many areas in the U.S. were leveled during urban renewal, only to be replaced with expensive apartments which displaced and gentrified the area. Similarly, development rakes across landscapes all over the world destroying vital natural habitats. Tourism attractions are usually very lavish and magnanimous, and those in most cases end up harming the natural environment. The obligation of the tourist, taking the lessons from my previous post, is to minimize the damage by prioritizing sustainable tourism.

Thailand

Thai land faced extreme issues with tourism and the environment. 9.3% of Thailands gdp comes from tourism, however the the ecological damages which tourism was causing was unsustainable. The marine ecosystems in Thailand were greatly damaged, corals were damaged(collected for souvenirs), solid waste generated, waste water discharged, sea grasses damaged, marine littering, and visual pollution. Because of the overturns in Thailand they have started to take the right steps. The government has started to move to eco friendly practices, they introduced the EEE system which asses and informs travelers how bad something might be for the environment, and they started putting strict regulations of ecological areas. The redemption of Thailand is important as it shows that the even if tourism destroys your countries environment it is still savable.

Hawaii

Hawaii is notorious for the impact tourism has had upon the island, and is a good example of how the ecological environment suffers due to tourism. Development in Hawaii has caused 60% of the plant and animal species in Hawaii to be endangered. The pollution from sewage, litter, and unmanaged waste all affect the water systems in Hawaii and the surrounding environment. The coral reefs in Hawaii are being killed due to tourist negligence and the huge influxes of visitors. The environmental damage of Hawaii is indicative of how over tourism in a small ecological area desecrates the environment.Furthermore, Hawaii is also a warning to other countries of the damages of tourism.

Korea

Seoul has a rigorous system to dispose of trash, so tourism can be handled by their systems. However, this is not the case for the rest of Korea, especially Jeju island. A few years ago Jeju island faced extreme over tourism. In 2016 almost 16 million people came to visit the island, as such more buildings were made, 30 golf courses were installed, and the most serious issue, water pollution. Jeju relied upon only ground water, but because the sewage treatment was running over capacity. On nov. 20the the back of Korea posted a survey which the locals majority said tourism had a negative impact on their lives. The insane development of Jeju action was desecrating one of Koreas most beautiful areas, fortunately Korea took action.