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A Level Gg Tourism Case Study - Impact on The Alps |
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Winter sports holidays in Europe
The Alps
Background
40% of employment involves tourism (500,000 people). Tourism grew rapidly in the 1960's. Some areas such as Grindelwald are 90% dependent upon tourism. The development of tourism made the area less remote and more accessible. In 1990, 50 million people took an alpine skiing holiday. Over 40,000 ski runs and 14,000 ski lifts were needed. The Alps receives 100 million visitors a year.
Positive impacts
- Population growth.
- Youthful age structure.
- Increase in total employment.
- Higher average earnings.
- New jobs created indirectly (construction).
Negative impacts
- Construction of facilities (cafes, roads & parking) results in deforestation.
- Demand for land has pushed up land prices. Consequently local people cannot afford to buy homes, or have sold and moved away, changing community structure.
- Excess concentration of facilities threatens the environment.
- Skiing causes environmental damage.
- Exhaust fumes from increase in traffic damages forests and has led to loss of wildlife.
Environmental Impacts
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Issue
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How
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Wildlife
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Black grouse are decapitated by power lines. Off-piste skiing destroys habitats.
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Construction
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Café, toilet and road construction destroys habitats and causes deforestation
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Skiing
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Ski lifts destroy habitats, ground eroded when snow is thin.
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Traffic problems
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70% of people travel by car or coach, leading to an increase in fumes. Wildlife killed by traffic.
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Forest clearance
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100 sq km of forest destroyed. Instances of avalanches increase. Concrete barriers built to stop avalanches, but are aesthetically displeasing.
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Water pollution
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Chemicals such as phosphorous and nitrogen are used to prepare ski runs. These leach into water supplies. Sewage pumped directly into streams and rivers
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Water shortages
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Increase in visitor numbers puts greater pressure on supplies. Water is used to produce artificial snow to satisfy demand (28 million litres). Rivers have run dry as a result of HEP schemes needed to supply electricity.
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D.Drake 2009
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