Italy: Tourism and the Environment

Every year there are close to 43.2 million tourists that visit the beautiful country of Italy. Although many might think that that the main attractions in Italy are its various monuments, cuisine and art there is also Italy’s Mediterranean climate that attracts scores of tourists year after year. It goes without saying that a large part of Italy’s Gross Domestic Product comes from tourism; it is a $47.2 billion industry in the country.

Tourism in Italy began with the introduction of the ‘Grand Tour’. The tour included a sort of sight seeing all across Italy’s most famous cities like Naples, Florence, Milan and Sicily. The tour included people from the upper classes like priests, scholar’s academics and other important people, they came to admire Italy’s famous art and monuments and also enjoy the climate. This continued till the 17^th century. In 1840 however rail transport was introduced, this made traveling easy and the masses gained access to cheaper and better travel. That in turn resulted in an increase in tourism across Italy. There were crowds of people from all walks of life that came to Italy every year. Initially the tours would comprise of cultural visits, however the country soon became more popular for its climate and rich bio-diversity. A large number of the tourists that came to visit were from colder countries.

Before the World War II Italy was mostly an agrarian country and however the mass destruction due to the war rendered the land unfavorable for producing crops. Slowly but steadily Italy began its transformation into a more industrial nation. Although industries developed, there were and still are several regions in Italy where agriculture flourishes. However it is still largely dependent on tourism as the main source of income for a large number of people, making it the fifth most visited country worldwide after France, Spain, United States and China.

Along with the boom of tourism post 1840 there has also been a significant effect on various aspects of Italy’s culture, environment and also the economy. The biggest impact however is seen on the environment. Most of the European countries like France, Spain and Italy are regions that are very rich in bio-diversity; this is one of the reasons that make the regions so appealing. People across the globe are drawn towards the beautiful climate and exotic locations. The region of Italy in specific is home to endangered species of animals. People do not realize that tourism is one of the gravest threats to a region so rich and bountiful it’s in natural resources.

As far as the environment goes the shorelines in Italy are one of the most affected areas in the country. There have been mass development projects that have been undertaken in order to boost tourism. A Mediterranean holiday would not be complete without the beautiful beach bungalows overlooking the endless blue seas. To make space for more for these romanticized locations a large part of the coastline has come to be more urbanized. Hotels, vacation homes and other tourist locations have been undertaken. Three-quarters of the sand dunes that were previously found on the coastlines of Sicily have disappeared. Tourism especially along the coastlines has a tremendous impact on the seas. The seas along the coast of Italy are noted to receive close to 10 billion tonnes of industrial and urban waste per year. Most of it never gets cleaned. This in one way or another affects the marine life of the region. Tourism has to an extent also affected culture of Italy; many believe that culture has had both negative and positive impact on Italy. In a positive way it makes the people become more open to different people from across the world and rid their minds of any prior stereotypes. Negatively however the region becomes more cosmopolitan and it affects the local way of life of the people.

Tourism might temporarily be seen as a way for development of the economy but it has severe long term hazards that threaten that very source of increase in the GDP. Over exploitation of natural resources and large sale development and urbanization will sooner or later show adverse ill effects on the environment and further the risk of global warming and other environmental concerns.

Trishann Henriques