Introduction
Tourism is a common way of doing business. It is depicted as an influencer associated with the host country’s development. Numerous countries have diverse vacation spot locales and activities that attract travelers from around the world. However, explorers should frequently be aware of global issues, such as inequality in these destinations, access to certain areas, and their role in the overall experience. Since tourists are already in an ideal destination, they can enhance their vacation by immersing themselves in the local culture.
Equality in tourism is crucial for future improvements in global development, as women are a significant part of the industry’s workforce. Despite accounting for nearly half of the formal sector, women are far more likely than men to be employed in low-wage, unskilled jobs. Without equality, the United States would not have achieved the same level of success. Equality in tourism is significant for managing the future development of global destinations because if people are willing to visit places, they will be more likely to accept changes when they return home.
However, tourists expect too much as travel consumers because they feel important and want to be accommodated with the best services and facilities that the destination can offer. This means that tourists often demand these facilities, regardless of the local community’s poverty. Additionally, tourism contributes to disparity since vacation spots are typically rich in natural resources, which can cause conflicts between locals of the destination country due to the unequal distribution of wealth.
Nonetheless, tourism impacts poverty by creating jobs and generating income for locals. This paper aims to discuss how the tourism industry has become more accessible, the new markets that have emerged, and the impact on its stakeholders. Moreover, the paper discusses the tourism industry’s both negative and positive impacts, including increased crime rates and job creation, as well as its potential to promote equality.
Industry Development
In the United States, the tourism industry has evolved through advancements in transportation. This means that tourism has led to an increase in flights and cruise ships. Additionally, the tourism industry has become more accessible to consumers since almost everyone can travel to a destination conveniently (Cole, 2018). Due to improved transportation, the industry has developed in various ways, including reaching out to others from all walks of life through the internet, e-travel websites, and an increased number of cruise liners.
These improvements have led to a more economical way of traveling and brought diversity into the tourism industry by creating new campaigns. These new campaigns are based on various features, including health benefits, food culture, and cultural tours, making tourism more attractive to all people (Ferguson, 2018). Additionally, tourism has become more accessible due to the increased number of travel agencies and online booking platforms. Since the 20th century, tourism has had many achievements, which have increased its popularity and accessibility.
Nonetheless, increased tourism has affected stakeholders by creating difficulties in the social and cultural environment. Increased tourism has led to a higher cost of living among locals, pollution of the land and environment, and excessive land usage. Tourism has increased the cost of living for locals in the United States by driving up prices for goods and services (Araújo-Vila et al., 2021). The increasing tourism has also led to an increase in pollution, as numerous activities are carried out, such as long-distance travel, heavy traffic, and changes in flora and fauna. The activities cause the release of high quantities of carbon dioxide and other gases, hence increasing air pollution.
For example, the US has been experiencing an increase in air environmental pollution since tourists started visiting local destinations. It is estimated that particulate matter and waste contribute much of the area’s overall air and environmental pollution (Araújo-Vila et al., 2021). Increased tourism has also led to excessive land usage; for instance, more space has been allocated for parking vehicles. Hence, tourism development alters land-use demands and patterns in vacationer areas, which indirectly and directly impact local habitats or environments.
There are several possibilities for future growth in the tourism industry. For example, the food and beverage sector is a growing market for both the hospitality industry and restaurant owners. New dining concepts include casual low-cost eateries, fast-casual chains, upscale cafés and pubs, frozen treats, and limited-service restaurants. The “Green Belt Movement” offers healthier food choices at lower prices, which are also available in shopping malls.
Emergence of New Markets
Several markets have emerged in the tourism industry in the United States over the past years. The markets in the tourist industry include the experience economy, the aging society, and the baby boomers. The experience economy combines entertainment, leisure, hospitality, and travel. Bi & Zeng (2019) stated, “The marriage of entertainment and tourism is entertaining.” This means that tourists often crave and want to be entertained and want to be able to enjoy the services they are paying for. In return for this service, tourists will spend more money on these services.
Additionally, Older people visit more often than younger people. The number of tourists in the 55 to 64 age group has increased more than any other age group.; it has almost doubled their visits over the last decade (Lv, 2019). The primary reason for the rise in older tourists is the increase in life expectancy and improvements in healthcare. More financial resources are becoming available to older people, allowing them to travel more frequently. This is why numerous cruise lines are building new ships that cater to the needs of older passengers.
The emergence of markets in the tourism industry has impacted the travel experiences of tourists visiting various destinations. For example, since the United States has better travel agencies and cruise lines, many tourists are now making trips to the United States of America. However, the rise in tourism has hurt the American economy. This is because, in some areas, tourism has declined due to safety concerns and the weakening value of the dollar. The other concern is that older people are aware they will lose their pension payments if they travel to other countries; however, the baby boomers will not be affected.
Nonetheless, emerging markets in tourism impact the preferred methods and behavior by introducing new changes. As the baby boomers grew up without television, most people are not ready to embrace new technologies such as cell phone coverage (Matani & Nasrin Taghizadeh, 2018). This has affected how people travel and experience travel.
The introduction of new technologies, such as cell phones, has impacted how tourists interact with each other while on vacation. For example, tourists often keep their cell phones close while away from home, creating a strong demand for improved internet services to stay in touch with their families. This makes it harder for service providers to compete in internet provision.
Gender Equality and Impacts of Tourism
In many nations, women comprise the majority of the tourism industry’s labor force, accounting for 55.5% of the global workforce and up to 70% in certain areas (Smythe et al., 2020). Despite this, women in the tourism industry will generally be in the least paid and lowest-status occupations. Nonetheless, in this industry, women perform much-neglected work in families and various tourism organizations (Salehi-Esfahani et al., 2021). This makes women the least paid, despite them handling most of the work. The tourism industry can attract women by offering better job opportunities and higher pay, creating valuable opportunities across the entire spectrum of the tourism industry and hospitality-related ventures.
As one of the areas with the highest proportion of women employed and business owners, the tourism industry can be a vehicle for women to unlock their full potential. This can be achieved by assisting women through education, increasing their pay, and promoting them in various sectors of the organization. This needs to be implemented globally to help strengthen fairness and gender equality (Kyrylov et al., 2020). Nonetheless, the United States can expand women’s employment opportunities in the tourism industry by investing in advanced mentorship and showcasing examples of successful women.
The tourism industry’s adverse environmental effects include increased waste, reduced air quality, and resource depletion. When tourists visit an area, they overutilize resources such as water, hence depleting them. Nonetheless, the tourism industry places a significant burden on local land use. It can prompt soil disintegration or erosion, increased contamination or air pollution, and loss of the natural environment. These impacts can continuously deplete the ecological assets the tourism industry depends on, such as wildlife.
Furthermore, the tourism industry has, for some time, been perceived as a source of wrongdoing. There is extensive proof that numerous traveler resorts experience higher-than-normal crime rates. This means that tourists are, at times, intentionally misled and taken to the wrong destinations where they are robbed and, at times, kidnapped (Sokhanvar, 2019). This poses a challenge for urban communities and towns seeking to expand their travel industry.
Other negative sociocultural effects include contrasts in moral and social values between the local host area and the traveler. Beyond influencing the connection between vacationers and the local population, tourism can also create friction among different groups within the local population. Additionally, tourism can cause fluctuations in the elements between the old and new ages. Crime rates and immorality have been believed to increase with the increase in the number of tourists (Rivera, 2019). Some of the Violations associated with tourists are liquor or alcohol consumption, drug abuse, and violence.
Additionally, the tourism industry has caused more disturbance in the behavior of the hosts due to the negative attitude that some vacationers show toward locals. However, the swarming of local people and vacationers may create a dynamic mood and dissatisfaction, which could lead to the withdrawal of neighborhood occupants in many attraction spots (Martín et al., 2018).
The locals are essential stakeholders in the tourism industry and should not withdraw from the organization. Increased vacationers likewise bring about increased traffic, which can interfere with the occupants’ day-to-day activities. Culture shock might influence the two travelers and their hosts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, equality in tourism or the tourism industry is a key issue today. Although tourism has become an integral part of people’s lives, it remains an industry that generates significant revenue. While its businesses are booming, concerns are being raised about improving tourism and ensuring sustainable impacts. These concerns include environmental management, worker welfare, labor rights, cultural heritage protection, and social or community impacts.
There is considerable interest in understanding how tourism impacts communities worldwide, particularly in areas where tourism is thriving. However, it is vital to note that the tourism industry is a significant sector that can be leveraged to address the issue of gender inequality. Management can adjust wages to increase them for women in the tourism industry. Additionally, the government can always acknowledge women’s good work in the tourist sector and publicly award them.
In addition, tourism can cause negative impacts on tourism-based economies because it is more of a business model than a social good. On the other hand, tourism has positive impacts, including increasing the local economy, generating employment, facilitating economic growth, and promoting development. It has a positive impact on the community, improving people’s lives. It is also easier and safer than ever, with measures such as Tourism for all and eco-friendly resorts providing a more enjoyable trip. It is essential to recognize that tourism can promote gender equality by enabling women to utilize their talents to benefit the community.
The tourism industry can be a vehicle for women to unlock their full potential, helping them become engaged and take a leading role in every aspect of society. This way, women will be empowered and seen as a significant part of society. Despite the negative impacts that tourism brings to society, the positive impacts carry a heavier weight. This, therefore, means that the tourism industry is more advantageous than disadvantageous since it encourages development and creates employment opportunities.
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