A Critical Analysis of how events contribute to destination community development.
Tourism Impacts on Community Well-being
Dr. Gianna Moscardo
School of Business
James Cook University
Learning Objectives
- By the end of this session students should be able to
- Explain different approaches to a good life
- Describe the key elements of quality of life/well-being
- Define a capitals or quality of life approach to sustainability
- Define sustainability in general and in relation to tourism
- List the main tourism impacts on destination community well-being
- Link tourism policy and planning to tourism impacts on community well-being
The big questions
- What is a good life?
- Is it a happy life? (but what makes you happy?)
- Is it freedom? (freedom from what to do what?)
- Is it being good?
- Is it about money? Luck? Relationships?
- What do you value the most?
- How to you get a good life?
- Can money buy you a good life?
3 Approaches to the good life
- Sociology/anthropology
- Good life is where you live in a good society
- Psychology
- Good life is one where you are happy
- Economics
- Good life is one where you have choice and choice is based on economic freedom or money
But can money buy you happiness?
(Source: Douthat & Peck, 2003)
So if its not money, what is it?
Source: Ura, Alkire, Zangmo & Wangdi, 2012
Source: Flora, 2004
Clarifying the terms
- Quality of life or well-being? Community versus individual? Subjective or objective?
- Dimensions, domains, capitals?
Communities are better places to live if they offer the following to their members
| Types of Capital | Summary Description |
| Financial | Income and accumulated wealth in the forms of savings, stocks, gold and/or land that can be used to invest in other activities |
| Built | Buildings of all types and hard infrastructure such as transport, resources and energy distribution systems that can be used to support the production of other capitals, goods and services |
| Manufactured | Goods created through manufacturing activity that can in turn be used to generate other forms of capital |
| Natural | The services, assets, resources and support for life provided by the ecosystems and processes that exist and operate within the natural environment |
| Human | The sum of the skills, capacity to provide labour, knowledge, health and abilities of individuals that they can use in exchange for other forms of capital |
| Political | The opportunities that are available for individuals to access and influence the decisions and governance relevant to their lives |
| Cultural | The features of culture and cultural expression, such as arts, crafts, knowledge, rituals, performances, events, and heritage resources that can be used to maintain and affirm cultural identity |
| Social | The number, type and capacity of social relationships and networks that can be used to access and convert different forms of capital |
*
Source: see next slide
*
Sustainability as community well-being/quality of life
- Increasing focus on sustainability as defined by contributions to community well-being/quality of life and the various forms of capital that are needed for a good society and good life.
- Natural, social, human, cultural, political as well as built and financial
Sustainability – defined for this class
- An approach to personal, business and collective decisions and actions that is guided by the following principles:-
- Taking a long term orientation and considering the environmental, social and economic consequences of our decisions and actions;
- Making a commitment to change the way we behave;
- Considering ways to balance the needs of current people with the needs of future generations;
- Being aware of and managing our resource use;
- Recognising that there are multiple forms of capital that contribute to the quality of life and well-being of individuals and communities and that we need to contribute to all these; and
- Paying particular attention to the conservation and enhancement of natural capital which is difficult to replace or substitute
Sustainability Framework
ETHICS
Rules and principles that guide decisions about what is right and wrong
Corporate Social Responsibility
Strategies that are based on sound ethics and effective governance, and that have the goal of making a significant positive contribution to sustainability through voluntary and proactive approaches to social and environmental issues
ENVIRONMENT
SOCIAL
ECONOMIC
Sustainable Policy, Practice & Behaviour
GOVERANCE
(processes
for making decisions)
There are different traditions in ethics, in governance and in the way we balance the three pillars
*
There’s no such thing as sustainable tourism!
Sustainable tourism
- Focus on destination
- Tourism as an end
- Destination as a resource for tourism
- Focus on markets
Tourism as a tool for sustainability
- Focus on the whole system
- Tourism as a means to an end
- Tourism as a resource for destinations
- Focus on communities
If we want tourism to be sustainable…?
- It has to have an overall positive contribution across all the different forms of capital for all the participants
- Need to eliminate or minimise negative impacts and maximise positive impacts across all the areas
Linking tourism to destination community impacts
| Capital | Positive Tourism Impacts or Contributions | Negative Tourism Impacts or Depletions |
| Financial | Creation of jobs, business opportunities and through these income for destination residents | Increases in the costs of living for destination residents |
| Built | Building of transport infrastructure to support tourism which provides greater opportunities for other economic sectors in the destination | Damage to transport infrastructure because of increased usage for tourism |
| Natural | Resources and support are provided for the conservation and restoration of natural environments that serve as tourist attractions | Tourist populations increase resource use (eg. energy and water) and waste. |
| Human | Provision of training and education for residents working in tourism | Tourists bring diseases with them into destinations creating health problems for residents |
| Cultural | Incentives for the preservation of cultural traditions from the interest of tourists | Destruction of built cultural heritage to make way for tourism facilities |
| Political | Tourism interest in ethnic minorities or marginalised indigenous populations at destinations can support greater political power for these groups. | Trans national tour operators who can control the flow of tourists to a destination can be given political power and advantage by elected representatives |
| Social | Tourists can support traditional festivals and events that bring destination residents together and strengthen social connections | Controversial tourism developments can create social conflict that breaks down social connections. |
- So that’s why we need to understand , use and improve tourism policy and planning
- The key thing to remember is that the point of tourism policy and planning is to improve the well-being of destination communities and the quality of life of hosts and guests
References
- Douthat, R. & Peck, D. (2003). Does money buy happiness? The Atlantic. Available online at (retrieved August 3rd 2013) http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/01/does-money-buy-happiness/308430/
- Flora, C. B. (2004). Community Dynamics and Social Capital. In Agroecosystems Analysis, edited by D. Rickerl and C. Francis. Madison, Wisconsin: American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., Soil Science Society of America, Inc. p.93-107.
- Ura, K., Alkire, A., Zangmo, T and Wangdi, K. (2012). A short guide to Gross National Happiness Index. Available online (retrieved August 3rd 2013) http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Short-GNH-Index-edited.pdf
- Readings
- Moscardo, G. (2012) ‘Building social capital to enhance the quality of life of destination residents’, in M. Uysal, R. Perdue and M.J. Sirgy (eds) Handbook of Tourism and Quality of Life Research, New York: Springer. (pp. 403-422).
- Moscardo, G., Konovalov, E., Murphy, L. and McGehee, N. (2013) ‘Mobilities, community well-being and sustainable tourism’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(4): 532-556.
Individual Tourist
-social capital
-human capital
-physical capital
-financial capital
- natural capital
Transit regions
-social capital
-human capital
-physical capital
-financial capital
- natural capital
Destination Region
-social capital
-human capital
-physical capital
-financial capital
- natural capital
Generating Region
-social capital
-human capital
-physical capital
-financial capital
- natural capital