GCSE Geography
Unit 2: Human Geography
CASE STUDY
REVISION BOOKLET
Please note: This booklet contains case study revision only!
You should still use your topic cover sheet to see what other
knowledge you are expected to have
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
TO COUNTRIES IN CONTRASTING PARTS OF THE WORLD
Essential jobs are created in ALL countries from tourism. However, the contribution this industry makes to the
country’s GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) varies greatly between wealthier MEDCs and poorer LEDCs.
It can be argued that LEDCs tend to be MORE DEPENDENT on the income from tourism than MEDCs, as outlined
below. For many LEDCs tourism is one of the main sources of income; for some it is the number one export
earner, creating not only much-needed employment, but also opportunities for economic development,
modernisation and improved standards of living.
THE CARIBBEAN (Focusing on JAMAICA)
Until the arrival of long-distance international tourism, many small island countries in the tropics could not see a
way to increase their income. Most island states in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean now welcome the growth of
tourism as the one chance they have to decrease their dependence on exporting primary commodities, such as
sugar cane or bananas, which are subject to wide fluctuations in world market price.
IN JAMAICA:
 Tourism is Jamaica’s leading earner of foreign exchange
 Tourism revenues account for 20% of Jamaica’s GDP.
 Jamaica’s tourism industry is projected to grow by 7.9% per annum over the next 5 years. Expansion on
such a scale will have a significant direct and indirect impact on the rest of the Jamaican economy. The
tourism sector demands inputs such as food and services from other sectors of the economy. The ability
of the tourism industry to generate new employment opportunities, especially among the low-skilled
group, makes the industry a critical component in the country’s development. Further, its inter- linkage
with the agriculture sector makes it an important contributor to rural development.
 Direct employment represents on average 3.2% of the country’s employed labour force. In addition to
direct employment (which refers to individuals hired by hotels, restaurants, and other tourist facilities),
multiplier effects lead to indirect and induced employment in the industry. The indirect jobs are the
ones where backward linkages develop positions that exist to service the tourism industry (e.g. farmers,
telecommunication companies, construction companies and manufacturers. When combined, direct
and indirect jobs represented approx. 9.6% of Jamaica’s employed labour force in 2005.
CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM TO THE UK ECONOMY.
MEDCs have a more broadly balanced economy, of which tourism is just one part. Services, particularly banking,
insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of the UK’s GDP.
 Tourism is the UK’s 3rd highest earner of foreign exchange behind Chemicals and Financial Services.
 Tourism contributes just 3% to the UK’s GDP. Whilst this is a significant contribution and tourism clearly
creates both income and jobs for the UK, we are LESS DEPENDENT on it, due to the broad economy.
 Over 2 million people are employed in the UK tourist industry, either directly or indirectly, which
represents over 6% of the UK’s labour force.
A CASE STUDY OF A UK COASTAL RESORT - BLACKPOOL
Reasons for the GROWTH of tourism in Blackpool
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Tourism in Blackpool originated in the Victorian times due to the natural advantage of a sandy
beach, which stretched for miles. (EXPLORATION)
In the mid-19th century (1850s) the railway had linked Blackpool to Manchester and the other
densely populated textile towns of Lancashire. Factory workers poured in on Bank holidays
(INVOLVEMENT)
By 1900 the tourist infrastructure of a promenade, piers, big hotels and Blackpool Tower were all
in place to attract tourists and with the introduction of the one-week paid annual factory holiday,
families began spending a week there every year. (DEVELOPMENT)
Tourist numbers continued to rise in the mid-20th century (1950s) as a result of a post-war boom
which coincided with personal wealth and paid holiday increasing (CONSOLIDATION)
Reasons for the STAGNATION & DECLINE in tourist numbers
Since the 1970s, as disposable income increased, people have preferred to go on package holidays
to Mediterranean resorts where they are guaranteed sun
Blackpool came to rely more on day trippers and stag and hen parties! Anti-social behaviour of
Stag and Hen Do parties caused the reputation of the area to decline further.
Evidence of decline from 1990 to 2000…
Visitor numbers dropped from 17 million to 11 million per year
1000 hotels ceased trading & 300 holiday flats closed
Average hotel occupancy rates fell as low as 25%, so £10 per night rooms were offered, which left
no money to invest in improvements and so a spiral of decline occurred (negative multiplier
effect!)
PLANS TO ENSURE THE CONTINUING SUCCESS OF TOURISM IN BLACKPOOL (REJUVENATION)
Blackpool attracted private investment and local authority grants in an attempt to arrest the decline:
 Transport/ access improvements - Blackpool Airport has expanded in recent decades. In 1995 a new £2
million terminal building was declared open and in 2006 a £2 million refurbishment of the passenger
terminal was completed.
 Out-of-season Diversification: To maintain business in the parts of the year when the weather
becomes cooler and less reliable, out of season events are promoted including conferences and
festivals:
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The Blackpool Dance Festival is a world famous annual ballroom dance competition of international
significance.
The Blackpool Chess Conference in March is the largest weekend chess tournament in Britain.
A number of major political party and trade union conferences, with thousands of delegates.
 Rejuvenation of ‘tired’ attractions:
- The Blackpool illuminations, which are vital for extending the tourist season into the
Autumn, have been transformed by a £10 million investment after years of ‘always being the
same’!
- New indoor pools & leisure centres, such as Water World which opened in 2006, have
replaced old outdoor pools to help alleviate the problem of unreliable weather
- The zoo was upgraded and a Sealife Centre was built.
- Beaches have been cleaned up and beach facilities improved so that by 2006 three of them
were flying EU blue flags.
 MERLIN entertainments has been appointed by Blackpool Council to manage the redevelopment
and operations of the iconic Blackpool Tower complex and Louis Tussauds Waxworks through a
£10m Council funded investment programme which could bring an extra 800,000 visitors to the
town every year generating up to £55m more spend right across the resort. As part of this deal
Merlin has brought three more of its international brands to Blackpool:
- In the Tower complex they have introduced a thrilling new Dungeon attraction and
developed the observation platform at the top of the Tower into an exciting new ‘Eye’
branded experience, including a 4D cinema preview show and a glass bottomed walkway on
the viewing platform, opened in 2012
- The Louis Tussauds wax attraction close by has been transformed into a second UK Madame
Tussauds.
Visitors can now experience 7 major attractions under the management of Merlin
Entertainment (see images below) for one price with the ‘Big Ticket’ which encourages return
visits as the ticket allows people to visit each attraction once over a period of 90 days!
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH THE IMPACT OF LARGE NUMBERS
OF TOURISTS (DAYTRIPPERS TO BLACKPOOL)
Strategy
Blackpool aims to improve the provision and
facilities of their coach stations to encourage this
mode of transport. Similar provision is needed
with rail facilities
Effective?
+ it is hoped this will ease the movement of
people to and throughout the resort and reduce
unwanted traffic in the tourist hotspots.
Increasing petrol prices may also encourage this
mode of transport
- HOWEVER, people like the comfort of their own
car, will people change their ways?
Investment is being made to move people around
the town via sustainable forms of transport that
will complement existing public transport.
CYCLE HIRE SCHEME – in 2009 Blackpool launched
+ It is hoped these initiatives will reduce the
number of cars on the roads which were not built
for the volume of traffic in the area today,
reducing traffic congestion problems, as well as
ease the pressure on the tram along the
promenade.
- HOWEVER, it is an additional cost while there
especially for families. Cycle hire is not good for
families with young children and if the weather is
wet.
+ It is hoped this will encourage people with
higher disposable incomes who will spend more,
therefore less visitors are needed.
- HOWEVER, tourist numbers may decrease due to
a lack of affordable accommodation and failure to
encourage higher disposable income visitors.
Average occupancy rates in Blackpool
accommodation remain below 25% as many
visitors are day trippers
the country’s first large scale cycle hire schemes. It is
one of 11 new Cycling Towns, with 500 bikes
positioned at 100 hubs across the city to hire for £1 an
hour or £8 per day
ELECTRIC TRAM – this has been modernised. It
transports people along Blackpool’s front
FOCUS ON QUALITY NOT QUANTITY: The average
spend per person who visits Blackpool is £32.
Blackpool aims to improve the quality of its
accommodation and close guest houses that do
not meet their bench marks.
MASS TOURISM IN A TROPICAL AREA – KENYA
MASS TOURISM: Tourism on a large scale to one country or region. This equates to the Development
and Consolidation stages of the Butler Tourist Resort Life-Cycle Model.
ATTRACTIONS OF KENYA
1: Wildlife Parks (game parks/ reserves)
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E.g. Masai Mara and Amboseli Game Parks
Stunning scenery including vast expanses of savannah grassland & Beautiful
mountains e.g. mount Kenya – the 2nd highest peak in Africa
The “Big 5” animals on Safari - elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino
Safari’s via minibus with a guaranteed window seat to get up close or via a hot air
balloon to view the herds from above
2. Beaches
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Malindi to Mombasa has mile upon mile of white coral sandy beaches, sheltered in
parts by swaying palms
Warm waters of the Indian ocean
Coral reef with 240 species of fish which you can see from a glass bottom boat or
up close whilst snorkelling or Scuba diving
3. Climate
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Lowest Rainfall in Jan & Feb (less than 25mm)
Highest temp in Feb and march (30-31oC)
Lowest max temp in July and Aug (approx. 26OC)
Highest temp coincide with the lowest rainfall e.g Jan and Feb
4. Human Factors:
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In the 1970s Kenya was ahead of most other East African countries in protecting
its wildlife within 45 national parks and game reserves (10% of the country)
Kenya is a leader in providing Luxurious accommodation – safari lodges and clubs
Fairly Prosperous (more developed) compared to neighbouring countries who
were racked by civil wars (e.g. Ethiopia/ Sudan)
THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MASS TOURISM
+ POSITIVES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
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Greater awareness of the need for and interest in conservation of landscape features, vegetation, wildlife and
historical monuments
Income from tourism/ entrance fees can pay for management, conservation and repairs.
Evidence ‘If it pays, it stays’...there is much more surviving wildlife in Kenya than there would have been if the
game parks hadn’t been created. The money from safaris means conservationists can protect wildlife from
poachers...in 1989, 3000 elephants were being killed every year for their ivory tusks. By 1991, only 30 were killed
because money had been spent training and arming game wardens
(HOWEVER…The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is responsible for the game parks. Whilst the staff are well
motivated, poor wages means that they may be more open to bribery, may ignore poaching, and may decide to
take no action against minibus drivers who get too close to animals in order to earn higher tips)
- NEGATIVES ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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The complete destruction of environments and habitats, in order to build hotels, roads and airports as well as
more specific local issues such as divers damaging coral reefs, pressure on landscapes and disturbance of wildlife.
Evidence 1 - On the reefs off Mombasa, boats drop their anchors, damaging the coral and some tourists even
remove pieces of coral as souvenirs.
Evidence 2 - The Safari minibuses churn up the ground in the wet season...tourists have been known to get
trapped in ‘bogged-down’ vans for up to 8 hours. In the dry season, the grassland is turned into a ‘dust bowl’
Evidence 3 - The concentration of visitors can be far too high at peak times of year. In the Masai Mara there can be
up to 8000 visitors on a busy day, leading to queues of over 70 safari vans at prime viewing points. In the game
parks, the drivers are keen to get as close to the animals as possible to please the tourists but this disturbs the
animals and disrupts their mating and migration habits...Numbers of Wildebeest on the annual migration have
dropped from 800,000 to 500,000 in 20 years.
Pollution problems from litter and untreated waste being dumped in the surrounding environment.
Evidence – In Kenya, some of the animals have turned into scavengers, hunting for food in the waste left by
tourists at nearby lodges/ hotels, instead of hunting naturally. This will change the natural balance in the food
chain of the ecosystem. One report discussed how an elephant was orphaned after its mother died from eating
batteries dumped by a hotel.
+ POSITIVES for the ECONOMY
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New/ improved infrastructure required by tourists (airports, roads, water and electricity supplies) can benefit
other local industries
Mass tourism increases the size of the domestic economy
Evidence - Tourist revenues accounted for 15% of Kenya’s gross domestic product in 2007 (GDP is the total value
of goods and services produced by a country)
Mass tourism is a great earner of foreign exchange.
Evidence - Tourism is Kenya’s biggest foreign exchange earner (US$ 1 billion in 2007)
Tourism is labour intensive and so mass tourism provides an increase in the number and variety of service job
opportunites
Evidence - Direct employment in tourism = 250,000 people in Kenya in 2007. Indirect employment in touristrelated businesses in Kenya in 2007= 250,000 people…half a million in total!
Low-income jobs can be converted to tourist related jobs to provide a better income (eg. Fishing boat used for
coastal tours)
Evidence - Some tribes are paid US$ 22,500 a year by tour companies so they can bring tourists across the local
tribes land. The local villagers and tribespeople can also earn money from the tourists by selling handcrafted
jewellery and souvenirs and by putting on a show of traditional dancing in the evenings.
- NEGATIVES for the ECONOMY
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Visitor numbers go up and down and an areas popularity may vary so income from tourism is not always regular/
reliable Evidence - Just when Kenya’s tourist industry seems to be on the up and up, it crashes again. Visitor
numbers rose from 0.8 million a year in 2000 to over 1.1 million a year in 2001, but crashed back to less than 0.4
million in 2002. A missile attack on an aircraft and a car bomb outside a Mombasa hotel that killed 13 people in
2002 made tourists stay away, resulting in lost tourist income calculated at US$ 1 million a day in early 2003.
Many jobs in tourism are seasonal, poorly paid, have low-status and are un-skilled. High earning jobs (e.g. those
of guides with language skills) often go to outsiders Evidence - Young people leave school early to get a job
cleaning or waiting in a hotel but they have no education, trade or skill so earn poor wages and will suffer if the
tourist industry declines.
The country/tourist area may gain only a small % of total tourist spend as profits often go to large international
companies (i.e. Virgin holidays) Evidence - Less than 2% of the money spent by tourists at the Masai Mara park
benefitted the local Masai Mara villagers and tribal people...even the high US$ 27 entry fee goes directly to the
government in Nairobi.
Some locals, particularly farmers and fishermen, may lose their livelihoods. Evidence - The local tribespeople, the
Masia, feel they are treated unfairly. When the game parks were set up, the Masai were forced off their land to
make way for the wild animals. Elephants eat their crops, Lions eat their cattle, but the tribes people are not
allowed to kill the wild animals.
STRATEGIES for maintaining the importance of tourism in Kenya
and reducing its negative effects.
The tourism industry is obviously hugely important to the country. However, if they don’t manage tourist
activities well then there is a risk that tourists could spoil the very environment they come to visit and gradually
look for alternative destinations. To prevent this from happening the Kenyan tourist board and the Kenyan
people have to devise a range of management strategies.
KENYA NATIONAL TOURISM BOARD “MASTER PLAN”
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To Diversify – open up new avenues such as adventure activities on rivers/ lakes
To Distribute tourists more evenly across the country to reduce pressure on tourist hotspots
At the local level the Kenyan Tourist Board aims to:
 Curb tourist numbers in over visited parks such as the Massai Mara
 Increase income by more than doubling park entrance fees, setting a higher minimum price level for
accommodation
 Tourists will pay a premium which will go towards game park improvements
Specific strategies introduced for Safaris include:
 Hot air balloons have 2 types of burner – QUIET burner used when close to animals
 25 metre limit on how close the minibuses are allowed to get to the animals
 Vehicles must not go off the roads to get close to animals
 Anti-harassment patrols who check that the safari tours stick to the rules (although this is hard a there
are not enough patrols to cope with the number of tourist vehicles)
 See ECOTOURISM for other strategies!
Future emphasis is on QUALITY NOT QUANTITY!!!!
Sustainable Tourism:
The development of ECOTOURISM
STEWARDSHIP: The personal responsibility for looking after things, Today the term is most
widely used to mean careful management of the environment on a large scale; regionally,
nationally and globally. No one should damage the present or future environment. All types of
development and resource exploitation are planned sustainably.
CONSERVATION: The careful and planned use of resources in order to manage and maintain
the natural environment for future generations. It is stewardship on a smaller and more manageable
scale. People feel much more involved at this level (e.g. a an individual building cam be conserved for its
historical importance or a habitat can be conserved because of the species which thrive there).
ECOTOURISM: Tourism which is…
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Environmentally sound – natural environments & wildlife safeguarded
Socially sound – Considers the needs of, and involves, local communities
Sustainable – Looking after today’s tourist needs without damaging those of future generations.
Ecotourism caters for a small but growing niche market of environmentally and socially aware tourists…It is
the fastest expanding tourism sector
Ecotourists…
- want to experience the natural environment directly doing activities such as trekking and bird-watching.
- want their holiday to have as little impact on the environment as possible…energy use should be
sustainable and no waste should be generated that can’t be dealt with efficiently.
- prefer small-scale accommodation, for example in lodges that may not even have electricity, rather than
large hotels.
- Eat local food &use local people as their guides as their knowledge & experience is seen to be valuable.
CASE STUDY: ECOTOURISM IN KENYA
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Small areas outside AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK are leased to ecotourist companies, each of which is
allowed to build just one hotel in a specified location. The companies must employ local people, buy local
food and use local resources in a sustainable way
3 tented camps, owned and run by Kenyans, have been set up in KIIMANA on an important migration
corridor for wildlife between Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks.
Close to the entrance of the Masai Mara park, 156 Masai have joined their plots together. In return for not
grazing their cows and chopping down wood, they rent their land out for a number of ecolodges and tented
camps in the OLARE OROK COMPLEX.
POSITIVES OF ECOTOURSIM
 The Masai land owners are paid a rent for use of their land of about £1000 a year
 Some young Masai men are employed as tour guides.
 Masai Communities involved in ecotourism are financially better off and so social benefits include more
children being sent to school and communities receiving better healthcare.
 It gives the local community a greater interest in protecting wildlife as it is the source of their income.
CRITICISMS OF ECOTOURISM
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Because ecotourism is small scale, inevitably Ecotourism holidays cost more, which means they attract only
people with enough money, so the market for such tourism is limited. Less well off people may be aware of the
need for sustainable tourism but may not be able to afford it… we can’t expect them to go without a holiday!
The word ecotourism is a powerful sales tool but it is sometimes used as a sales ‘gimmick’ for tours which do
little more than take tourists to more distant, less popular attractions, away from the mass tourist trail.
Some locals are said to be wasting their income from tourism on alcohol
Most adult Masai are unable to read and write, which leaves them vulnerable to cheating tour operators with
unfair contracts and leases.
EXTREME ENVIRONMENT TOURISM
EXTREME ENVIRONMENT: Locations with particularly difficult environments where the development
of tourism has only recently occurred due to a niche market demand for somewhere different with physical
challenges. Extreme environment tourism involves dangerous landscapes, often with a difficult climate, and
places that are sparsely settled (or not at all), access to which is difficult.
EXTREME ACTIVITIES are activities which provide physical challenge and an element of risk. Some
extreme activities require an extreme environment (e.g. Ice-walking requires a glacier or ice cap to walk
across) whilst some extreme activities can be done in various places (e.g. Bungee jumping form a crane in the
middle of a town)
ADVENTURE TOURISTS: Typical profile: 30 years old, unmarried, no children, a high powered job &
good income. Adventure tourists usually travel in SMALL GROUPS and TRAVEL GREAT DISTANCES, yet travel
companies still feel it is a worthwhile growth market because there are enough wealthy individuals with a
taste for something different to allow this sector to grow.
CASE STUDY: EXTREME ENVIRONMENT – ANTARCTICA
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Until recently, Antarctica’s remoteness saved it from large numbers of tourists as there are NO
commercial airports, only landing spaces that are unsuitable for most of the year and the season is
narrow (mid Nov-mid March)
Recent growth in tourist numbers: 1987 = 1000 a year, 2007 = over 30,000 a year (most from USA, UK &
Germany)
2 reasons for recent growth: Increase in the size of cruise ships & Penguin craze casued by films such as
March of the Penguins & Happy Feet
Tourists usually visit Antarctica on large cruise ships, sailing for one or two weeks. Smaller boats then
take them ashore at key locations for short visits.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIONS
 Antarctica is the only continent that is 100% wilderness, without any permanent human inhabitants.
 it is also the COLDEST, DRIEST, WINDIEST and HIGHEST of all the continents…The coldest recorded
temperature was -89.2°C at the Russian base station Vostok in 1983 and Antarctica receives so little
moisture that is classified as a cold desert.
 In the middle of summer it is light all day, while in winter there is total darkness.
 An ice sheet covers around 98% of Antarctica’s surface. It contains 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of the
world’s fresh water. At its thickest point, the ice sheet is 4.7km deep.
 There are active volcanoes on Antarctica. Mount Erebus constantly spurts hot lava onto the ice.
WILDLIFE ATTRACTIONS
 There are 4 different species of penguin in Antarctica: The emperor penguin is the largest and can grow
to over 1m tall and dive over 500m into the ocean to feed.
 There are 6 different species of seals, including the cute Wedell Seal and the rather odd looking
elephant seal.
 Orcas are also known as killer whales, but they are in fact a type of dolphin. They use clever techniques
to get their prey, such as creating waves that knock seals off floating ice.
POPULAR ACTIVITIES
 Ice walking, Kayaking, scuba diving,
IMPACTS OF TOURISM ON ANTARCTICA
Tourists want to visit the most picturesque and wildlife-rich areas. Animals, especially penguins and
seals, are disturbed if there are more than a few people. Breeding patterns may be disturbed as the
peak tourist and peak breeding seasons coincide. Penguins do not like to be touched and may leave as a
result, abandoning their eggs and their young.
With the number of visitors predicted to double in the next ten years, the probability looms of ever
larger ships, helicopters and commercial air strips. The great majority of shipping in Antarctic waters is
tourist based. Already large cruise ships with up to 1000 passengers sail to Antarctica. Unlike smaller
ships they are not ice strengthened and they use heavy fuel oil, which disperses more slowly than
marine fuel oil. There have been accidents when ships have struck uncharted rocks or ice floes. The
sinking of the 100-passenger cruise ship Explorer in November 2007, after hitting ice, came as a real
shock and a warning. It had an ice-strengthened hull and a 20-year record of safe Antarctic cruising. Oil
spills are becoming an increasing hazard for wildlife
A big worry is any development of land-based tourism – the thought of people skiing and snowboarding
down Antarctica’s uninhabited slopes There is a danger that future tourists will see Antarctica as a
theme park instead of a very fragile nature reserve.
STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH INCREASING TOURISM IN ANTARTCTICA
(and their LIMITATIONS)
 Although tourist numbers have increased rapidly in Antarctica, protection remains a high priority. A
permit must be gained for any activities on the continent….this limits the number of participants at any
one time.
 Visitors are not allowed to visit Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in order to conserve precious
wildlife and landscapes (Bird Island on South Georgia is one example)
 Tourist ships must discharge all waste materials well away from the shore of Antarctica which reduces
the likelihood that pollutants will enter the food chains and harm the ecosystem. l
 All tour operators are members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO),
which directs tourism to be safe and environmentally friendly. Around 100 companies have signed up to
and abide by the guidelines of the IAATO
- HOWEVER, these guidelines are not mandatory
 There is a limit on the number of visitors that the ships are allowed to land at any one time.
- HOWEVER, 2 of the largest ships have not signed up to the agreement and they land more
than 100 visitors at a time, which is above the maximum allowed by the guidelines.
Additionally, since there are only a few suitable landing sites, they are under increasing
pressure, even if ships do stick to the limit
 No ship carrying over 500 passengers can land in Antarctica.
- Nevertheless, there is concern that larger ships will eventually be allowed to land and that
the volumes of tourists will be beyond sustainable limits.
 Responsible tour operators hire as tour guides and lecturers people who have worked or carried out
research in the Antarctic, who instil responsibility into their passengers and so visitors are less likely to
cause harm to the environment.
- HOWEVER supervising the tourists to ensure that they ‘do not go within 5 metres of penguins
and other wildlife’, ‘do not walk on lichens’ and ‘do not leave litter or waste’ becomes more
difficult with increasing numbers.