Tourism impacts

Task performance #1
Topic: Introduction to sustainability
Question:
#1

#2
Research on the current location condition of our environment in terms of land, air, and sea.
Land
Sea or Water Pollution (Further information: Water supply and sanitation in the Philippines)
Although water resources have become scarce in some regions and seasons, the Philippines as a whole
has more than enough surface and groundwater. However, neglecting to have a coherent environmental
policy has led to the contamination of 58% of the groundwater in the Philippines. The main source of
pollution is untreated domestic and industrial wastewater. Only one third of Philippine river systems are
considered suitable for public water supply.

It is estimated that in 2025, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in 8 of the 19 major
river basins. Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in
the fishing and tourism industries. The national government recognized the problem and since 2004 has
sought to introduce sustainable water resources development management (see below).
Only 5% of the total population is connected to a sewer network. The vast majority uses flush toilets
connected to septic tanks. Since sludge treatment and disposal facilities are rare, most effluents are
discharged without treatment. According to the Asian Development Bank, the Pasig River is one of the
world's most polluted rivers. In March 2008, Manila Water announced that a wastewater treatment plant
will be constructed in Taguig. The first Philippine constructed wetland serving about 700 households was
completed in 2006 in a peri-urban area of Bayawan City which has been used to resettle families that
lived along the coast in informal settlements and had no access to safe water supply and sanitation
facilities.
Land or Deforestation (based on deforestation in Philippines)
Over the course of the 20th century the forest cover of the Philippines dropped from 70 percent down to
20 percent.] In total, 46 species are endangered, and 4 were already eradicated completely. 3.2 percent
of total rainforest has been left. Based on an analysis of land use pattern maps and a road map an
estimated 9.8 million ha of forests were lost in the Philippines from 1934 to 1988. Illegal logging occurs in
the Philippines 11] and intensify flood damage in some areas
According to scholar Jessica Mathews, short-sighted policies by the Filipino government have contributed
to the high rate of deforestation:
The government regularly granted logging concessions of less than ten years. Since it takes 30–35 years
for a second-growth forest to mature, loggers had no incentive to replant. Compounding the error, flat
royalties encouraged the loggers to remove only the most valuable species. A horrendous 40 percent of
the harvestable lumber never left the forests but, having been damaged in the logging, rotted or was
burned in place. The unsurprising result of these and related policies is that out of 17 million hectares of
closed forests that flourished early in the century only 1.2 million remain today
#3

Room for Growth

Despite these advantages and advancements for women at some destinations, significant inequality
persists. To better address these inequalities, gender needs to be incorporated into the project design at
the outset like it was for the Abraham’s Path project. Project frameworks need to go beyond
disaggregating results to address the root causes of the disparities.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has some of the most important historical and cultural
sites in the world, and stunning natural landscapes. Couple these incredible assets with the region’s
famous hospitality and rich culinary traditions, MENA is an ideal destination to grow travel and tourism,
and harness its power for development work. However, MENA is behind other regions in women’s
agency, economic opportunities, workforce participation and more. This presents a unique opportunity to
leverage tourism to bridge the gender gap in the region. Gender differences in unemployment rates are
particularly exacerbated in the West Bank and Gaza, where the overall economic situation is bleak due to
instability, and gender dynamics are and exacerbated by the conflict.

To tackle these and other issues, The World Bank Group developed the Abraham Path project to support
community-based tourism along the historic Abraham Path. Spanning Turkey, Jordan, Israel and the
West Bank, this 1,000-km walking trail weaves through communities and important historical, cultural,
ecological and holy sites offering visitors a unique regional experience and interactions with locals. The
WBG project brought together fragmented communities along the Abraham Path in the West Bank
through many interventions like training and capacity, which were aimed at generating tourism revenue
and jobs, and improving economic opportunities for women.

Implemented in 2014, the small-scale innovative project has generated 137 jobs, 57% going to women.
However, the benefits go beyond employment. Following the project’s training sessions, 60% of the
interviewees said that they were more likely to act on problems affecting their communities. Of the
participants surveyed, 62% stated that they were more involved in dispute resolution; 60% began actively
engaging in awareness raising campaigns; and 73% increased their volunteer activities. Women have
also stated that they have begun engaging in decision-making in traditionally male-dominated venues and
are slowly feeling more empowered. One female participant commented: “I was shy before. Now I’m a
representative….I participate in meetings and make decisions.”

As seen through this project and many others, travel and tourism can empower women. The sector has
already been recognized by the World Bank group and other organizations as a nimble and powerful
development tool, which is underscored by the United Nations' declaration of 2017 as the Year of
Sustainable Tourism for Development. Tourism provides better opportunities for women’s participation in
the workforce, women’s entrepreneurship, and women’s leadership than other sectors of the economy.
#4
It depends on how the government spending is financed. If government spending is financed by higher
taxes, then tax rises may counter-balance the higher spending, and there will be no increase in aggregate
demand (AD).

Crowding out. If the economy is close to full capacity, higher government spending can lead to crowding
out. This is when the government spends more, but it has the effect of reducing private sector spending.
For example, if government borrow from the private sector, the private sector has lower savings for
private investment.

The impact of government spending also depends on the state of the economy. If the economy is close to
full capacity, then higher government spending may cause inflationary pressures and little increase in real
GDP. If the economy is in recession, and the government borrows from the private sector, it can act as
expansionary fiscal policy to boost economic growth.
#5

MANILA, Philippines — To improve the country’s investment readiness and attractiveness, the
Department of Tourism (DOT) has signed a memorandum of understanding with advisory firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

DOT Undersecretary Alma Rita Jimenez and PwC chairman Alexander Cabrera signed the agreement
that seeks to develop projects promoting tourism and enhancing the Philippines as a premier tourist
destination.

Jimenez said PwC would be considered “knowledge partner” of the DOT for the purpose of Philippine
tourism investment promotion.

“Part of our mandate is to boost investments in the country and through this partnership we are able to
create a platform where people can take a look at investment prospects in tourism. It helps also that we
partnered with an independent and credible partner,” she added.

PwC specializes in delivering audit, tax and advisory services. Its guidebooks in doing business and
investing in the Philippines have been institutional business reference materials.

Among the initiatives included in the agreement are sharing of information, expertise and technical
assistance, organizing and undertaking activities to improve investment-readiness and attractiveness.

The DOT is eyeing to make tourism a source of inclusive poverty reduction. In 2016, the tourism sector
contributed 8.6 percent to the Philippine economy and employed 5.2 million Filipinos in various sectors,
making up 12.8 percent of the total workforce.

But under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), the tourism sector is projected to employ at
least 6.5 million individuals when the Duterte administration ends in 2022.

Earlier this year, the DOT urged micro-small- and medium-sized enterprises to enter the local tourism
market in a bid to create an attractive business environment that would lure in foreign investors.

Jimenez, DOT undersecretary for regulation, coordination and resource generation, earlier said the
country’s rising arrival figures, combined with growth of the global travel and tourism sector, paints an
attractive picture of the Philippine tourism market, which will encourage foreign investors to do business
in the Philippines.

“You’ll have the confidence that when you put your resources in our shores, you can park your funds with
us for the long term because it will give you steady and stable returns,” she added.

While the DOT is eyeing to attract foreign investments, Jimenez said opportunities still abound for local
investors, driven by the need to address smaller accommodation requirements.

Colliers International Philippines research manager Joey Roi Bondoc earlier told The STAR the
Philippines travel and tourism sector needs to improve on its competitiveness.

“The improved competitiveness of the Philippine tourism sector it should boost hotel occupancy rates and
entice local and foreign businessmen to ramp up their leisure-related investments in the country,” Bondoc
said.
In the 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines
slipped to 79th rank, five spots lower than its ranking in 2015.

Bondoc emphasized that the Philippines still remains at the bottom 50 percent of the 136 countries
ranked by the report. He added that there are several categories where the Philippines needs to improve
substantially, especially those in the safety and security category, where the Philippines ranked 126th.