Vacation Industry Case Study Of Cyprus Tourism Essay

Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Turkey. Cyprus has a warm and dry with little rainfall climate which is a typical Mediterranean climate and this climate makes Cyprus very popular as tourist destination. The official languages of Cyprus are Turkish and Greek, while English is widely spoken by both sides. You can get to Cyprus by boat or plane. Charter flights are frequent scheduled from England and other European countries to Cyprus.

Cyprus provides a wide range of accommodation in all areas of the island. Its accommodation covers all types of guests and all budgets ranging from luxury hotels, holiday villages, apartments to rent and camping. If somebody wants to explore the island, a car hire is needed. Cyprus has many things to offer to tourists, while Cyprus is known for its sandy beaches with the amazing water sports, rugged mountains, impressive ancient structures, churches and museums which make it a perfect holiday destination. There are also various recreation and sports activities available such as diving, golfing and carting. In Cyprus you can experience in bird watching, turtle watching and hiking and for those people who love the lucky games there are many casinos in the island.

The travel adventurers can discover all over the island attractive beaches, ancient ruins, mountain peaks and vineyards that has olive trees all over. In Paphos you can go to Roman Mosaics, the Tombs of the Kings, the Byzantine Museum and Kato Paphos Archeological Park. Nicosia has the Cyprus Museum, Limassol boasts of its Lambouri Winery, Kolossi Castle and its Limassol Castle and Galatex. Avios Ioannis has the Turkish Ethnographic Museum, among others.

Larnaka is a harbor with huge palm trees, cafes and taverns and also houses the international airport of Cyprus. In Larnaka you can visit Byzantine Museum, agios Lazaros Church, the District Archeological museum, the Pierides Museum etc. During the Kataklysmos feast which is celebrated all over Cyprus everyone can gather the shores of Larnaka, dancing, singing, driknking, eating and enjoying water sports.

Lemesos is famous for the industrial center and port and wine industry. During September the wine lovers can enjoy the wine festival where the food and wine is served free. Witness the grand Lenten carnival when bands, decorated floats and dancing mark the celebration of this carnival. Tourists can enjoy the beaches, sea foods, visiting the museums and relax in the gardens.

Paphos was the capital of the island in Roman times. Paphos has become a popular seaside resort with a large population. The Ktima section of the city is the main residential area, while Kato Paphos is the playground of holidaymakers, built around the medieval port with its numerous luxury hotels, taverns and entertainment venue. You can visit the Acropolis with its complex ancient buildings, including a Roman Odeon which is used for summer orchestral and stage performances as well as the Tombs of the Kings which is located 2km northwest of Paphos harbour towards the Coral Bay. Paphos is also known for its Mosaics floors in a series of ancient Roman noblemen’s villas and every visitor must see it. An excursion to the baths of Aphrodite is something that all the visitors should see because it is a visit to the natural grotto on the Akamas Peninsula where legend has it that the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, used to take her baths.

Anyone cannot describe the beauty of Cyprus with words because every corner of this place is worth seeing.

Assess the impact (positive and negative) of your visit on the environment.

The quality of the environment, natural and man-made is essential to tourism. Many of the environmental impacts are connected with the structure of the general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities such as resorts, hotels, shops, restaurants, golf courses and marinas. These negative impacts of tourism can cause damage to the environmental resources on which it depends. Alternatively, tourism has the potential to create positive effects on the environment by helping to environmental protection and maintenance and this is a method to raise awareness of environmental principles and it can serve as tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance.

When the level of visitor use is greater than the environment’s ability to manage with this use negative impacts arise from tourism. When conventional tourism is uncontrolled poses possible threats to many natural areas. It can lead to impacts such as: soil erosion, natural habitat loss, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, heightened vulnerability to forest fires and increased pressure on endangered species. It frequently puts a strain on water resources, and it can force local populations to compete for the use of critical resources.

The negative impacts of my visit in Cyprus are:

The depletion of natural resources: this means that the tourism development can put pressure on natural resources when the consumption in areas is increased and the resources are already scarce. For example, with my visit on the island I cause problem because of my depletion of water resources such as my needs of water for washing and bath, my use of the swimming pool and other uses. The consequences are the water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a bigger volume of waste water. Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and is well known that in such dry regions, the water scarcity is greater because of the hot climate and the tourists tend to consume more water in their holidays than do at home. Another negative impact of my visit was the use of local resources such as energy, food, and other raw materials that previously was in short supply. Usually in high season the exploitation of these resources is greater than other periods because of the big number of visitors. The destination managers try to cover this high demand of local resources in order to meet the high expectations that tourists usually have for proper heating or cooling, hot water etc.

Pollution: tourism can cause the same forms of pollution as any other industry, such forms are: solid waste and littering, air emissions, releases of sewage, noise, oil and chemicals, even architectural and visual pollution. My impact in the air pollution was my transportation by air and the excursions with the car. The air pollution that caused from the transportation of tourists has negative impact on the global level, especially from CO2 emissions related to the use of energy for the transportation which contributes to severe local air pollution. Noise pollution caused by cars, buses, airplanes, jet skis etc. Additionally to causing annoyance and stress to humans, it causes distress to wildlife and can cause animals to alter their natural activity. Another negative impact in which and me as tourist contribute to its increase is the Solid Waste. The tourism industry produces enormous quantities of waste products. Airlines, hotels, attractions and other businesses that serve tourists throw away tons of garbage a year.

Some other physical impacts that caused from tourist activities (including myself as a tourist) are: trampling, in cases that tourists using the same trail over and over again trample the vegetation and soil, finally causing damage that lead to loss of biodiversity. Anchoring and other marine activities, in marine areas many tourist activities occur around fragile systems. Anchoring, scuba diving, yachting and cruising are some of the activities that can cause degradation of marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. Change of ecosystems by tourist activities, habitat can be degraded by tourism leisure activities. For example, tourists by watching the wildlife can cause stress for the animals and alter their natural behavior when tourists come too close.

The positive impacts of my visit in Cyprus are:

Financial contributions such as:

-Direct financial contribution is the revenue from park-entrance fees and similar sources which are allocated specifically to pay for the protection and management of environmentally sensitive areas.

-Contributions to government revenues are the money that I paid to rent recreation equipment. This money can provide governments with the funds needed to manage natural resources.

Describe two actions that individuals could take in the future to maintain the sustainability of this environment.

The anxiety for our environment no longer remains in the realm of sustainability projects. It is a real-time that individuals, locals and tourists should start concern about all this thing that destroy our environment: changing seasons, expanding deserts, global warming, depleting forests and ice at the poles and increasing sea levels, climatic aberration, melting glaciers, suffocating pollution and food shortage are clear manifestations of an environment that is leaded into a global catastrophe. Small changes can bring a positive impact, and we may still be able to leave a cleaner, habitable planet for our children. Here are two actions that individuals, locals and tourist can take in the future in order to maintain the sustainability of the environment:

Use less electricity: Lots of fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity. This is like a chain: the more we use, the more we burn, the more we pollute the environment. A simple act is to switch off the lights and electrical appliances when are not needed and by doing this we can save huge amounts of energy. Many people can construct their houses, hotels etc. in a way that even more daylight can be used instead of using light bulbs.

Use public transport or bicycles: We are all well informed about the fuel crisis which is caused by an ever-increasing number of gas-guzzling automobiles being acquired by millions of people. To make matters worse even food crops are being used to produce biofuels so that people can drive their cars. A good solution is that any individual, local and tourist can use more often the public transport because it’s healthier and environment friendly. First, you will have to walk a distance to use the public transport and second fewer vehicles will be on the road. In fact this will also reduce the frequency of traffic jams.

Describe two actions that destination managers could take in the future to maintain the sustainability of this environment.

The development of tourism is well-matched with environmental protection through proper planning and controlled development and tourist management. Destination managers need to develop appropriate protection policies and strategies to efficiently manage tourism. Tourism managers must think the needs of an area and its residents, and determine the physical and social carrying capacities of a destination. Two actions that destination managers could take in order to maintain the sustainability of the environment are:

Legislation and regulation: government by establishing rules and regulations such as fees, laws etc. can help control negative impacts. It is possible to regulate development and mandate environmentally pleasing building design. Government can also control pollution problems and cleanliness of public areas. Laws can be obtained that control certain types of tourist actions, such as over-collecting. In some cases, establishing protected areas may reduce the negative natural resource impacts of tourism.

Alternative tourism can be developed to meet the needs of certain groups of people, allowing them to experience the natural and cultural wealth of regions. It is also positive for economic development in countryside areas, or in environmentally fragile areas that cannot support major change. Alternative tourism is basically the antithesis of mass tourism. Alternative tourism results in fewer severe impacts while still providing positive economic effects. Numerous types of tourism are considered alternative: biotourism, nature or environmental tourism, farm and ranch tourism, scientific tourism, special interest tourism, village tourism etc. One new trend in environmentally alternative tourism development has emerged: ecotourism and it is concerned with gaining the economic advantages of tourism development and minimal environmental impact.