The tourism industry is a booming and pivotal sector of the economy for many countries. From supporting local livelihoods to boosting national GDP, most countries stand to benefit from tourism activities. Pollution is not what one would typically consider when travelling, but the truth is that the relationship between air pollution and tourism is one that cannot be ignored. Afterall, pollutants stay in the air for as long as happy memories stay in our minds!
The first aspect of this relationship pertains to the influence of air pollution on decisions regarding tourism. Local air quality and extent of air pollution are extremely important factors in determining the flow of tourism. Good air quality resonates well with tourists’ hopes of making fond memories at scenic spots, while poor air quality ruins the image of the destination for tourists (Su and Lee, 2022). Beyond these shattered geographical imaginations, practical conditions that arise from air pollution, such as increased health risk and poor visibility at attractions may make tourists averse to travelling to certain places.
Figure 1 (left). Map of PM2.5 concentration (µg/m3 ) in China, 2019 (Zhang and Lu, 2022)
Figure 2 (right). Map of tourist arrivals (in thousands) in China, 2019 (Zhang and Lu, 2022)
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the negative relationship between air pollution and tourism activity. The highly developed coastal cities of Eastern China have the highest PM2.5 concentrations that diffuse outwards from the core. Hence, the number of tourist arrivals are higher in the peripheral regions which are seemingly deemed to be more attractive destinations owing to the cleaner air there.
The second aspect of this relationship is the impact of tourist arrivals on local air pollution and air quality. The scaling up of tourism entails greater usage of energy for a wide range of activities. Nearly 70% of CO2 emitted by the global tourism industry stems from the burning of fossil fuels to meet various demands of tourists (Zhang and Lu, 2022). Although CO2 is a greenhouse gas with no direct health implications, Ciarlantini et al. (2022) highlight that 16.29kg of harmful nitrogen oxides are emitted for each plane’s landing and take-off cycle. Moreover, human-generated particulate matter arises from cooking and heating when tourists dine in restaurants and stay in hotels. Let’s also not forget all the pollution generated by the construction industry when tourism facilities and infrastructure were being built, or the trees that were lost when land was cleared to make way for these buildings. Check out this website for brief explanations on how various services engaged by tourists cause air pollution.
Figure 3. Estimated carbon footprint of global tourism by type of industry or service (Sustainable Travel International, n.d.)
Not all is doom and gloom, however, as there is another side to this aspect of the relationship between air pollution and tourism. I was pleasantly surprised to read of several studies that reflect how the increase in tourism helped to reduce air pollution. Lee and Brahmasrene (2013) found that a 1% increase in tourism brought about a 0.105% decline in CO2 emissions in European Union countries. This may very well be motivated by the need to maintain or improve the air quality of popular tourist destinations to ensure a growing stream of tourists. As aptly put by Bojanic and Warnick (2019), the greater the dependence on tourism and the stronger the tourism industry, the more there is to be done for environmental protection and reducing air pollution. Only by simultaneously acknowledging both the social and economic significance of air pollution, can the tourism industry remain meaningful, lucrative, and sustainable for tourists and host countries.
Even as someone who rarely travels, I found many of the articles mentioned in this post highly relatable. Would you travel somewhere knowing that the air quality there is well beyond safe thresholds? I, for one, would not. Finally, while governments play a critical role in regulating the tourism industry and its environmental impacts, tourists themselves should also tour responsibly (find out how here).
Until the next entry, breathe safe and be safe!
References
Bojanic, D. C., & Warnick, R. B. (2019). The relationship between a country’s level of tourism and environmental performance. Journal of Travel Research, 59(2), 220–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287519827394
Carbon footprint of tourism. Sustainable Travel International. (2022, August 24). Retrieved February 25, 2023, from https://sustainabletravel.org/issues/carbon-footprint-tourism/
Ciarlantini, S., Madaleno, M., Robaina, M., Monteiro, A., Eusébio, C., Carneiro, M. J., & Gama, C. (2022). Air Pollution and tourism growth relationship: Exploring regional dynamics in five European countries through an EKC model. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18087-w
Lee, J. W., & Brahmasrene, T. (2013). Investigating the influence of tourism on economic growth and carbon emissions: Evidence from panel analysis of the European Union. Tourism Management, 38, 69–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.02.016
Su, Y., & Lee, C.-C. (2022). The impact of Air Quality on international tourism arrivals: A Global Panel Data Analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(41), 62432–62446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20030-6
Zhang, J., & Lu, Y. (2022). Exploring the effects of tourism development on air pollution: Evidence from the panel smooth transition regression model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), 8442. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148442