Tourism impact on the economy is a reality that is going to be around for years to come. However, recognition of the “less positive” effects of tourism means that both private and public sectors need to reach a consensus in trying to mitigate and correct (or avoid) present and potential impacts. The purpose of this paper is to consider the positive aspects of tourism development and the use of technology to help anticipate and correctly manage the added value of tourism impacts.
Presents the viewpoint of the author, based on her significant experience as a public and private sectors’ manager, thus describing some of the challenges posed by tourism development and suggestions for action.
Tourism-related impacts do not “just happen”, they are the result of tourism growth and both public and private sectors need to use new solutions, based on tourism intelligence to anticipate threats and explore opportunities.
Tourism intelligence offers a route to defining strategies to better balance and manage tourism flows and, where necessary, to compensate residents, to reduce the pressures of tourism on popular areas and to mitigate potential tourism damage.
It is often the case that those who claim that tourism promotes over-use or over-exploitation of natural resources think that reducing tourism is the only possible solution. This paper suggests that tourists can live together with locals without damaging their quality of life.
