Tourism in LEDCs

Only 20% of world tourism happens in LEDCs!

Advantages

• Provides direct employment for the LEDC e.g. employment in bars, hotels, tour guides.
• Provides indirect employment for the LEDC e.g. farmers can grow food for the hotel.
• Provides much needed foreign currency and foreign investment.
• The country has more money so can improve its infrastructure which is a benefit for the local people.

Disadvantages

• Tourists cause pollution and can damage the environment e.g. visual and noise pollution from increased buildings.
• Building up the infrastructure is costly and money that is spent may have been better spent elsewhere.
• Some people in the right industries benefit but others may be worse off as traditional industry is often lost.
• Tourists don't always respect traditional cultures and cultures can be broken down as a result of tourism.
• Much of the profit goes overseas to MEDCs.
• Country can rely on tourism too heavily and fail to develop other industries. Then if something goes wrong (e.g. war) they have lost everything.

Case studies

• Jamaica