Degree Programme

Tourism

713 – Multinational and tourist groups

Case study
Tourism in the Maldives – the environmental impacts

Students Names: Bonk Sophie, Fäh Sira, Fan Xuxiangru,

Gilliand Mélissa & Sottaz Justine

Professor: Gretel Qumsieh Mussalam

Submitted on: 12th November 2014

HES-SO Valais-Wallis ∙ rue de la Plaine 2 ∙ 3960 Sierre

+41 27 606 89 11 ∙ info@hevs.ch ∙ www.hevs.ch
Module 713 Bonk Sophie, Fäh Sira, Fan Xuxiangru, Gilliand Mélissa & Sottaz Justine

Abstract
The environmental changes caused by tourists are a publicly discussed topic nowadays.
Nevertheless, we still do travel in masses and therefore have a great impact on the
environment. The Maldives, a growing destination, has had many issues in past years with
negative environmental changes and not long ago started to implement regulations in order
to diminish the growing problems, such as coral reef destruction or rise of the sea level. In
comparison, Switzerland is also facing problems, but they are of a different kind. The alpine
destination focuses on the nature that needs to be preserved and tries to find a solution for
the melting glaciers. We wrote this paper to help the readers understand to what extent
their journeys and choices of destinations have an impact upon the environment and how
destinations manage the issues.

Keywords: Maldives, Switzerland, environmental change, impacts of tourism

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Table of contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

Tourism in the Maldives ............................................................................................................ 1

Environmental impacts.............................................................................................................. 2

Application to Swiss tourism ..................................................................................................... 4

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 6

List of references ....................................................................................................................... 8

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Introduction
Any tourism activity is likely to have both positive and negative economic, socio-cultural and
environmental impacts on the destination (Cooper et al, 2008). In fact, tourism needs
enough space to build new infrastructures, to create new activities and to provide access to
the destination. Several measures are undertaken in order to make this possible- sometimes
by deforesting, diverting rivers or transforming agricultural land - which negatively affects
the environment and the ecosystem. Although tourism aims to preserve the environment,
human pressure is a direct link that affects the ecosystem, especially the small and fragile
islands. Moreover, by contributing to and being impacted by climate change tourism leads to
serious environmental issues. Therefore, the impacts must be limited and the focus should
be on sustainable development.
Due to the fact that tourism is often developed in places of natural beauty, but attractive
environments can be destroyed by tourist activities, there is a symbiotic relationship
between the two (Page and Connell, 2006). This means that the very factor that attracts
tourists (i.e. the environment) is the thing that is most likely to be spoiled by mass tourism.
In the case of the Maldives the following case study will show what impacts have had a
negative effect on the island destination.

Tourism in the Maldives

In the past 40 years the Maldives have become one of the most popular tourist destinations
in the Indian Ocean (Viner & Agnew, 1999). Ever since the 1980s tourism has been boosting
the islands economy and it is now the main source of income (Viner & Agnew, 1999; Hall,
2010; Kundur & Murthy, 2013).

International tourism - number of arrivals in Maldives, source: tradingeconomics.com

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It is thanks to this significant growth of importance that destinations such as the Maldives
have undergone developments and now boast functioning infrastructure and
communication possibilities (Hall, 2010). However, paradisiacal islands like the Maldives
have been subject to numerous studies regarding their development, focusing on different
issues such as the environment, socio-cultural or economic issues. The Alliance of Small
Island States (AOSIS) Declaration on Climate Change (2009, p. 1) stated that the effect of
humans on climate change are worse than they had forecasted and that it will continue to
intensify. Tourism is often developed in places of natural beauty. But attractive
environments can be damaged by tourist activities, implicating that there may be a
destructive relationship between the two (Page and Connell, 2006). In terms of effects on
the environment the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
developed guidelines which can be used to evaluate the repercussions of tourism on the
environment (Cooper et al, 2008). According to them, the following categories are likely to
have a negative impact on the destination:
- Permanent environmental restructuring (e.g. construction of hotels)
- Waste product generation
- Direct environmental stress caused by tourist activities (e.g. destruction of coral
reefs)
- Effects on the population dynamics (e.g. migration)

Environmental impacts
Tourism affects destinations in many ways, both positively and negatively. One example
could be the construction of an airport big enough to accommodate the many tourists
wanting to travel to a certain destination. This can surely be seen as a positive impact of
tourism as these changes also improve the life quality of the locals. However, in areas of
environmental sensitivity such as the Maldives, it will become clear that it is usually the
negative influences that predominate.
Due to the increasing number of tourists more and more coastal resorts are being built,
leading to the removal of trees and other vegetation to make room for new complexes
(Kundur & Murthy, 2013; Cooper et al, 2008). Often exotic species are imported to make the
resort gardens more enticing. The problem hereby is that these imports might force out local
vegetation and prevent it from growing.

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Another problem that islands usually have, is that their relatively small population is doubled
by the number of tourists during high season leading to strain on the environment and in the
long term even the destruction of natural resources (Hall, 2010).
The Maldives are made up of many small islands which do not lie very high above sea level.
Climate change (partly caused by tourism) negatively affects the coral reefs that are located
in the area as they get bleached by the sun which - in turn - results in their destruction (Viner
& Agnew, 1999). If the temperature of the sea gets too hot then the coral reefs expand thus
making sea levels rise. It is for this reason that climate change may have a large impact on
the Maldives because if sea levels rise further, island destinations may be destroyed due to
coastal erosion and flooding (Viner & Agnew, 1999; Hall, 2010). Furthermore, a rise in sea
level could cause salt water to contaminate the islands during storms and eventually make
them uninhabitable (Viner & Agnew, 1999).
Coral reefs are also in immediate danger because tourists who go swimming, snorkelling or
diving may accidentally damage the coral or even take it deliberately as a souvenir (Kundur
& Murthy, 2013; Page and Connell, 2006).

A destroyed coral reef

It is the Maldives’ white beaches, turquoise water and coral formations that attract so many
tourists each year (Kundur & Murthy, 2013; Hall, 2010) but as mentioned before, it is these
very resources that might be spoilt or altered by the tourists who came to admire them in
the first place (Viner & Agnew, 1999; Hall, 2010).
This is the dilemma of destinations such as the Maldives: on the one hand they are heavily
reliant on tourism for their economy but on the other hand too many tourists will put extra
pressure on the environment (Cooper et al, 2008) and gradually lead to the destruction of
the islands beauty, leaving the inhabitants with nothing (Hall, 2010; Page & Connell, 2006).

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Pollution of the beaches and water, littering and most especially the picking of corals
negatively affect the Maldives as a destination and may eventually lead to the decline of
tourism due to the lack of attractiveness (Kundur & Murthy, 2013).
Hall (2010) notes that islands particularly struggle with waste disposal, conservation of
biodiversity and the environmental impacts of tourism. Although there are regulations
concerning sewage disposal in place, some resorts still pump their waste water into the sea
too close to the islands which leads not only to environmental but also to health issues
(Kundur & Murthy, 2013).
In terms of counteracting the negative environmental impacts of tourism the Maldives have
already taken effective steps towards sustainability. One example is the use of rainwater
instead of groundwater for drinking. Moreover, salt water is used for flushing toilets and
showers make use of desalinated sea water. All these measures help prevent water shortage
(Kundur & Murthy, 2013).
According to Kundur & Murthy (2013) solid waste does not have a major negative impact
upon the Maldives at the moment but for aesthetical reasons there are special management
practices in place to solve the problem. A landfill site has been created on one of the islands
to overcome the issue of having large amounts of solid waste on a relatively small area.
However, it remains to be seen whether this can really be a sensible long-term solution.
Tourism in the Maldives will only be able to continue if the islands natural beauty is
maintained. In order to do so, the government has already put in place several laws, policies
and management plans to protect their environment. This is the reason why negative effects
on the islands have been held to a minimum and – for now – the Maldives continue to be a
popular tourist destination (Kundur & Murthy, 2013).

Application to Swiss tourism

Like the Maldives, the Swiss economy is highly reliant on tourism. It is the fourth most
important export industry in the country after the chemical industry, machine industry and
watchmaking industry. Tourism is one of the main work providers, as it employed 146’259
people in 2012 (STF, 2013, p.4).
Another similarity between Switzerland and the Maldives is the reason why tourists visit
these countries, namely for their landscapes and the nature-related activities. “Switzerland’s
geographical location is unique, with the Alpine range, several large lakes, the Jura, and

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many other natural assets. The climate favours winter sports, but also summer tourism with
regions such as Ticino and Lake Geneva enjoying very mild climates.” (OECD, 2000, p. 3).
Swiss tourism needs the nature and beautiful landscapes to attract tourists but tourism has a
negative impact on the environment. The first negative effect is the fact that tourism
permanently changes the landscape with constructions. In fact, the infrastructures for
tourists like holiday accommodation, sports’ establishments like golf courses, ski lifts and ski
slopes are big consumers of land. According to a study, a golf course uses 50 hectares, a
hotel bed around 30 square meters and a secondary home bed around 150 square meters
(OFS, 2010, p.21). Furthermore, tourism produces a lot of waste, “according to a general
rule, a tourist produces between 2 and 5 litres of waste per day” (OFS, 2010, p.22). The
problem of previous years is that the tourist flow is increasing, as well as their waste and
many destinations do not have an appropriate waste collection centre for so many people
(OFS, 2010, p.22). Finally, the last issue that tourism causes to the environment is the strain
caused by tourist activities. In Switzerland, many activities that are not made in particular
establishments like mountain biking, off-piste skiing, climbing, rafting and snowshoe walking
are destroying plant species and animal homes (OFS, 2010, p.22).
Regarding these issues, the government has implemented some sort of conservation of
sensible areas. Additionally, tourism can contribute to its preservation by increasing the
public appreciation and awareness of the environmental issues that occur. In this case, by
protecting the environment, tourism is acting in its own interest. In Switzerland, the
government has taken various measures over the years to improve the situation (see the bar
chart below).

Protected areas of national importance, Swiss Federal Office of Environment 2014

Laws were set up by the government on landscaping as well as on country planning (LAT).
The main goal of these laws is to protect the natural resources, to build and maintain a

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quality of settlement and to assure the protection of the country (Autorités fédérales de la
Confédération suisse, 2014). Another example is the law for hiking trails: this law obliges
destinations to provide hiking trails and to keep them in good condition. Moreover, it forces
tourists to stay on these tracks. This law is in place to protect the mountains’ ecosystem and
to assure the hikers’ security as well.
But one of the most worrying issues in Switzerland today is not the negative impact of
tourism on the environment but climate change’s impacts on the environment and tourism
destinations. Tourism has a contradictory position regarding this topic because it is partly
responsible for global warming due to the “Greenhouse Gas emissions from leisure-related
transport and high energy consumption in the accommodation and activity sectors” (Matasci
C., Altamirano-Cabrera J.-C., 2011, p.1) but at the same time also suffers from the
consequences. In Switzerland, tourism feels the effects of global warming especially in the
Alps. The tourism industry and several ecologists are researching two main problems. The
first one being the mountain glaciers’ melting, which has the consequence of a higher snow
avalanche risk. The second one is the increase in temperatures, which leads to decreasing
snowfall on low altitude ski resorts (OFEV, 2013, p.). In Switzerland, scientists have already
thought of solutions to reduce the mountains glaciers’ melting, such as covering them with
white sheets (Matasci C., Altamirano-Cabrera J.-C., 2011, p.12). But it has not been tried yet
and will maybe never happen. Artificial snow is the current solution adopted by ski resorts to
deal with the lack of snow, while waiting for another solution.

Conclusion
Tourism has a particularly high influence on any environmental damage. Whether it is the
increasing global warming, littering or the destruction of untouched nature, tourism
contributes to it. Whether it is in the Maldives or in Switzerland, both were not properly
prepared for the masses of tourists and therefore, damage has been done. In any case, the
examples show that there are ways to minimise the negative impacts. In the case of the
Maldives, the municipality is trying to promote sustainability, but lacks the ability to fully
commit. Protecting the coral reefs by raising awareness is a good example for a successful
call for action. On the other hand, the garbage island is a sign that the perfect solution has
not yet been found and therefore an indicator that the Maldives can actually not
accommodate the masses of tourists in a sustainable way yet. In comparison, the case of

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Switzerland shows how different the environmental impacts can be depending on the
geography of a country. Here, the focus lies more on the preservation of nature and the
actions against decreasing snow fall. As for the preservation of nature, Switzerland has
implemented laws, secured certain areas and also focuses on public awareness. But for the
lack of snow no sustainable solution has been found yet. Switzerland as a small country
cannot diminish the global warming as such, but it can try to contribute something by being
a role model. Examples of such are eco-friendly cars or even destinations where non
electrical vehicles are strictly forbidden.
The comparison of the two examples leads to the conclusion that no perfect solution has
been found yet in order to diminish all negative impacts on the environment caused by
tourism. In any case, being aware of the environmental issues of the destinations is a step in
the right direction and shows that there is a solution to the problems.

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List of references
Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS) (2009). AOSIS Declaration On Climate Change 2009. New York,
AOSIS. Retrieved November 8, 2014, from
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1566AOSISSummitDeclarationSe
pt21FINAL.pdf.

Autorités fédérales de la Confédération suisse (2014). Loi fédérale sur l’aménagement du territoire.
Retrieved on November 3, 2014 from http://www.admin.ch/opc/fr/classified-
compilation/19790171/index.html

Brown, K., Turner, R. K., Hameed, H., & Bateman, I. A. N. (1997). Environmental carrying capacity and
tourism development in the Maldives and Nepal. Environmental Conservation, 24(04), 316-
325.

Cooper et al (2008). Tourism: principles and practice. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall Financial Times.

Hall, M. (2010). “Island Destinations: A Natural Laboratory for Tourism: Introduction”, Asia Pacific
Journal of Tourism Research, 15(3), pp. 245-249.

Kundur, S.K. & Murthy, K. (2013). “Environmental Impacts of Tourism and Management in Maldives”,
International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2(1), pp. 44-50.

Matasci C., Altamirano-Cabrera J.-C. (2011). Climate change and tourism in Switzerland: a survey on
impacts, vulnerability and possible adaptation measures. Retrieved on November 3, 2014
from http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/150406/files/.

OECD (2000). Swiss tourism policy – background report. Retrieved on November 3, 2014 from
http://www.oecd.org/general/searchresults/?q=swiss%20tourism%20policy.

OFEV (2013). Conséquences des changements climatiques en Suisse: économie et société. Retrieved
on November 3, 2014 from
http://www.bafu.admin.ch/klima/00469/00810/00813/index.html?lang=fr.

OFS (2010). Statistique suisse de l’environnement n° 12, Voyages touristiques. Retrieved on

November 3, 2014 from http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/tools/search.html.

OFS (2014). Environnement : Statistique de poche 2014. Retrieved on November 3, 2014 from
http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/themen/02/04.html.

STF (2013). Swiss tourism in figures 2013: Structure and industry data. Bern: STF.

Page, S., & Connell, J. (2006). Tourism: A modern synthesis. London: Thomson Learning.

Uyarra, M. C., Cote, I. M., Gill, J. A., Tinch, R. R., Viner, D., & Watkinson, A. R. (2005). Island-specific
preferences of tourists for environmental features: implications of climate change for
tourism-dependent states. Environmental conservation, 32(01), 11-19.

Viner, D. & Agnew, M. (1999). Climate Change and Its Impacts on Tourism. Retrieved on November 3,
2014 from http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tourism_and_cc_full.pdf.