Yen Nguyen Reports.
It is evident that tourism can be very harmful to any aspect of the environment which includes the natural and built environment. It is a primary challenge for tourism operators working towards becoming a leader in responsible and sustainable practices across all dimensions. By committing to changing the way people work and live it will bring an opportunity to apply management practices expertise to help reach individual, organisational and environmental goals (South Bank Corporation, 2008).
It is evident that tourism can be very harmful to any aspect of the environment which includes the natural and built environment. It is a primary challenge for tourism operators working towards becoming a leader in responsible and sustainable practices across all dimensions. By committing to changing the way people work and live it will bring an opportunity to apply management practices expertise to help reach individual, organisational and environmental goals (South Bank Corporation, 2008).
Positive Impacts:
- Provisions of funds to manage the precinct
The costs have increased over the years due to the proliferation of tourists arrivals, hence the revenue generated from tourists have been used for maintenance of its buildings, gardens and cleaning within the Parklands. Furthermore, the revenue generated can be used to finance group repair and site restoration; stimulating measures to protect the environment; and increase their knowledge on the importance of the natural and built environment.
- Responsible tourists assistance with habitat maintenance and enhancement
Responsible travellers tend to do what they can to leave the site in a better condition than when they arrived by willing to pick up litter left behind by others. Such strong responsible travellers depict what travelling responsibly is all about in terms of minimising their personal impact and make a positive contribution.
- Preservation of building
It can promote preservation of buildings such as the Nepal Peace Pagado, a heritage building of World Expo 88. It is a hand-carved building and is the longest standing building with a traditional architecture and consists of a long history of Brisbane. Moreover, it is a popular part of one’s visit to South Bank today therefore the presence of tourists can contribute to the preservation of such buildings.
- Raising awareness of environmental issues
It can help raise tourist awareness of environmental issues which will give them a better knowledge and understanding of potential damages to the environment caused by travellers.
It can provide a stronger motivation for governments to conserve the natural environment and campaign on the leading issues of the environment.
. Negative Impacts:
• Urban form
South Bank Parklands was originally a hunting and gathering place for local indigenous people until the white settlers came and took over the land (Noble, 2001). Over the years they established the area as a port and an industrial hub where they stripped most vegetation. The redevelopment of the Expo 88 site had little impact on the environment because most vegetation was already gone from the early settlers. The creation of the prominent site replanted vegetation and this have brought life back into the area with both its built and natural environment. Footpaths and boardwalk through the rainforest have been developed since the opening of South Bank due to an increase number of visitors. The use of site hardenings is perceived as negative because it encourages an increase in tourists numbers thus more damage to the environment.
- Tourist activities
- Floral and faunal species composition
Tourist routes and walking tracks are areas where littering can occur and as a result dumping can alter soil composition and introduce exotic species into the plant community.
Tourists can have an effect on plants as a result of trampling and modifications to animal behaviour due to the presence of tourists in their habitats. For instance, there are signs saying do not feed the ibis within the boardwalk areas and this sign is used to modify visitor behaviour through providing general information to both locals and tourist. However, some visitors ingot it and as a consequence the ibis will return because of their familiarity with human contact.
It can lead to a disturbance to their habitats as well as their traditional feeding patterns which may be altered by the presence of litter and garbage by tourist operations (Brida & Perevra, 2008).
Over the years South Bank has created itself a reputation as one of the top tourist’s destination and as a result, tourism can have a substantial impact on the host community in terms of both positive and negative impact. Tourism can tend to overwhelm a community with negatives impacts for instance change in the natural environment, littering and trampling on plants. On the contrary, it allows a promotion of conservation, use funds to manage the precinct as well as the preservation of buildings. These impacts is increasingly a significant issue and it is critical that problems such as these that rise to be addressed.
