Article
1/22/2021
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.