In 2022, the number of tourists in the world is estimated at 963 million, the 7th highest number of tourists recorded in the last twenty years. Tourism is one of the most important human activities, bringing together players from different sectors, and is a sector with a promising future for the planet.
Tourism is a source of growth, but it is also notorious for the setbacks, misappropriations and negative impacts that surround it. Between sex tourism, destructive tourism, overtourism… the excesses of the tourism sector are numerous. In this article we take a look at the negative and harmful effects of tourism around the world. We will look at the five major scourges linked to tourism.

1.Sex tourism

The practice of travelling for the purpose of commercial or non-commercial sex. Sex tourism dates back to the 1950s and has continued to develop ever since. Sex tourism is an evil that directly affects children. In some countries, prostitution linked to sex tourism affects one child in two.
According to a study by the ILO (International Labour Organisation), the sex tourism economy accounts for almost 15% of GDP in some countries. The countries of the South are those most affected by this evil.
Sex tourism is practised in various forms by both men and women, taking the form of “sex holidays”. It takes the form of prostitution, quick meetings leading to sexual relations in hotels, nightclubs, beach boys, bumsters, etc.
Sex tourism is combated through prevention measures and legal regulations aimed at punishing sexual relations involving minors.
However, there is no single piece of legislation governing sex tourism, and different countries have different rules on the age of sexual majority for children, and therefore the age at which they can have sex freely.

2.Biodiversity

Biodiversity loss is one of the negative effects of tourism, and we rank it as the 2nd greatest threat in our article. Biodiversity loss has several causes: economic expansion, illegal construction and the emission of unsanitised waste. Tourism plays a part in all three when it is developed illegally and in an uncontrolled manner. The economic attraction of an area is the main cause of this problem.
All tourist sites can be affected by this drift in tourist activity: mountains, beaches, forests, rural areas. The concentration of infrastructures dedicated to tourism creates a saturation effect that is contrary to the desire to avoid tourism. Biodiversity loss can be reflected in the decline of certain species, geographical changes, meteorological changes or oceanic changes.
It is a sign of unhealthy or abusive exploitation of the tourist zone. This phenomenon is observed in both northern and southern countries.
Biodiversity loss is not caused solely by tourism. The expansion of tourism is one of the contributing factors, and should be seen in the same light as other sectors of economic activity.

3.Poor distribution of wealth

This is the disproportionate, or poorly distributed, sharing of wealth as a result of tourism activity. In other words, the unfair exploitation of a tourist activity creates more inequalities than social virtues. This other scourge linked to tourism activity, the poor distribution of wealth, is a widespread evil in areas with a high tourist industry. It is due to the installation of large hotel chains and or the installation of major tourist leisure centres. These large infrastructures often call on a wider and more qualified recruitment system, as well as belonging to corporate groups, breaking all the beneficial effects linked to an economic activity with high regional value.
The poor distribution of wealth in the tourism sector is an evil that is difficult to combat because of the limited resources available to regions and local authorities to deal with it. The poor distribution of wealth is an evil that can be prevented by public employment initiatives, school employment partnerships, job fairs and employment seminars. When wealth circulates properly and tourism is well integrated into the region, it becomes not only a regional employment pool, but also an important economic player included in the economic landscape of other activity sectors.

4.Ecology

Ecological problems linked to tourism are one of the most deplored scourges associated with the tourist industry. They account for 8% of the pollution emitted, i.e. 3689.68 megatons of carbon per year. The ecological problems associated with tourism include greenhouse gas emissions, the loss of biodiversity mentioned above, and the emission of waste from tourism operations.
Ecological problems are an obstacle to the practice of tourism and constitute a major challenge for tourism. They are rethinking tourism in a more responsible and intelligent way, and inviting tourists to become active players in non-pollution, even changing the way they consume.
For example, they have reduced the use of straw in many restaurants and hotels around the world. The same goes for the use of plastic bags and disposable cutlery. For the sake of the planet, it is raising awareness about the consumption of meat and other foods, right down to the tourist’s plate.
The ecological problems linked to tourism are leading us to think differently about tourism, to travel closer together, or with others, to sleep together, to plan our trips earlier, to choose less polluting means of transport, to choose less polluting or more environmentally-friendly accommodation. There are many ways to combine tourism and protecting the planet, but the scourge is real, and fighting it requires the commitment of everyone involved.

5.Cultural loss

Cultural loss is the final scourge we are concerned with in this article. Cultural loss in tourism is any forgetfulness or failure to respect a tradition or custom as a result of tourist activity. It mainly affects the regions south of the equator, and is due to the globalisation of tourism.
Cultural loss concerns traditional rites, traditional ways of life, regional dialects and traditional cooking methods. Tourism generates a flow of people who generate capital and bring with them their own culture. This changes lifestyles, habits and ways of doing things on a daily basis. Coca Cola may not be a region’s favourite drink, but it becomes the tourists’ favourite. The same goes for music, cuisine and lifestyle.
Tourism brings with it a civilisation and a way of life when it travels, and it has a strong influence on the way people see the countries it visits.
Tourism also strongly exposes what it does, which can lead to a feeling of cultural dispossession. The possession of a culture does not always involve a patent; it is the possession of a group, of people who have the rights to it.
Nevertheless, cultural loss in tourism is a fairly marginal phenomenon, which we have placed at the bottom of our ranking.