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numbers, due to a growth in package holidays sales and mass tourism from
markets in western and northern Europe, tourism in the island has
experienced diversification since the 1990s (Essex, et al., 2010). Activities
such as golf, which relies on concerning water consumption levels, started to
be implemented. Lastly, the Mallorcan climate has become warmer and drier
over the last century in accordance with climatological data. This tendency is
expected to continue and even observe an accentuation as a result of global
warming, which indicates that various Mediterranean resort destinations may
experience water supply constraints over the next 25 years (Essex, et al.,
2010). Another example of a mass tourism Mediterranean where water
supply might become a future problem if water consumption management
policies are not put into practice is the island of Cyprus. Here, 4.8 percent of
the national water use is being used for international tourism activities,
which is a much higher amount than the typical 1 percent observed in most
countries (Gssling, et al., 2012). The water demand from tourism in some
destinations is already not being fulfilled during summer periods for basic
needs such as drinking water or recreational activities such as swimming
pools and golf courses (Lemesios, et al., 2016). A study conducted in Bafra
region, North Cyprus assessed the environmental impact of tourism
developments in this region. In keeping with Altinay & Hussain (2005), the
region was being affected by water supply constraints already in 2005 and
the situation was expected to worsen as a result of new developments.
Furthermore, Cyprus witnessed severe water scarcity for residents during the
summer of 2008 (Farmaki, et al., 2014). From this discussion, it is possible to
argue that tourists who purchase holidays which consist of travelling to mass
tourism Mediterranean destinations share responsibility for the negative
impacts of tourism in this areas, particularly, the pressure on freshwater
supply; simply by being involved in mass tourism activities, tourists are often
contributing to the demand for unsustainable developments in the tourism
industry. As an example, British holidaymakers still choose package holidays
as their first option when going abroad with 53% of respondents admitting to
having booked one over the last 12 months, which translates to an increase
of 6% when compared to 2015. (ABTA, 2016).
All-inclusive holidays are still in high demand for most tourists, whose main
concern is the expenditure budget (Farmaki, et al., 2014). In addition to their
involvement in mass tourism, literature shows that tourists tend to behave
less responsibly while going on holidays, even when often they do not have
the intention of damaging the environment (Juvan, et al., 2016). Accordingly,
tourists seem to differentiate the importance of taking responsibility for their
environmental impacts between everyday routine and tourism activities,
giving it a lot more emphasis to the first (Hares, et al., 2010). Several studies
have also identified a divergence between peoples attitudes and their
behaviour whilst on holidays. This divergence is known as the attitudebehaviour gap and represents the missing link between peoples beliefs and
their pro-environmental behaviours (Hares, et al., 2010). Juvan et al. (2016)
mention several studies that have mainly been steered towards the context
of air travel and tried to explain the gap between tourists intentions and their
behaviours. Some of the justifications given by tourists include: lack of
understanding and awareness of their impacts; denial of involvement in
climate change; denial of responsibility, blaming governments and tourism
providers or other entities; lack of alternatives or time; lack of infrastructure
at destinations; emphasizing hedonic experiences over the environment; and
the idea of freedom when on holidays and compensation with responsible
behaviours when at home. Based on the Goal-Framing Theory (Lindenberg &
Steg, 2007), Miao & Wei (2013) tried to identify the causes behind the lack of
pro-environmental behaviour, discussing the three main reasons linked to it,
known as normative, hedonic and gain. First, normative motivations relate to
the moral obligations of behaving correctly and are usually the main factors
contributing to responsible behaviours. Next, hedonic motivations are
associated with short-term personal enjoyment, working many times as
barriers to the adoption of environmentally responsible actions through the
perception that these will reduce comfort. Third, gain motivations are
concerned with the upkeep of peoples resources, for instance, financial
savings. People who share these motivations are happy to behave
responsibly given that they are benefiting from those behaviours. The main
problem with tourists is that their choices seem to be influenced by hedonic
and gain motivations, such as reluctance to pay extra for environmental
conservation (Budeanu, 2007) instead of normative motivations, usually
more recurring when they are at home. Therefore, from this analysis, it may
be argued that tourists share the responsibility for unsustainable destinations
not only because of their choice of destination or involvement with
unsustainable tourism activities and developments but also because of their
behaviour changes, negatively affecting the environment while they are
abroad.
Another relevant issue to discuss is the responsibility other stakeholders
share for unsustainable destinations. It is important to examine if the correct
policies towards sustainable tourism are being implemented by government
bodies and tourism businesses. To fully consider the question, it is also
necessary to explore how efficient the current policies are and the impacts
they have. Photojournalist Martin Parr once said: The thing about tourism is
that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it. Martin
Parrs thought highlights the importance of in-depth knowledge when
considering mass tourist destinations. Typically, the promoted image mass
tourist destinations by the government bodies and tourism businesses do not
represent the reality of these places. As government tourism agencies and
large businesses are usually the main tourism policy makers, the main focus
of tourism policy is to increase the number of visitors, rather than addressing
the harmful impacts such as natural resources degradation and pollution,
weakening of local incomes and deterioration of service quality (Lebel, et al.,
2010). Thus, while there is strong evidence in favour of an increased interest
in responsible tourism by organisations, generally trying to invest in positive
practices that benefit the environment and local communities (DEAT, 2002),
recent studies have identified challenges to this. Research on unsustainable
destinations shows that mass tourist destinations are often related to
unsustainable developments and environmental damage (Kim, 2002).
Notably, Yasarata et al. (2010) highlight the paradox between the hazards of
environmental
destruction
(essential
for
tourism)
and
the
economic
of
seeing
these
as
long-term
core
competencies,
lacking
issues
in
Mediterranean
destinations.
Secondly,
their
References
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