Introduction
A country’s economy has become increasingly dependent on tourism, particularly in developing nations. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism industry accounts for one in ten jobs and 10.4% of the global GDP (Sofronov, 2017: pp 127-139), tourism exports accounted for 30% of all services exports and 6.6% of all exports worldwide in 2016. Many developing nations, like Mexico, have turned tourism into an essential tool for their economic growth due to the sector’s growing importance in the economy and its influence in society, both in alleviating poverty and promoting equality. Two of the seventeen goals of sustainable development developed by the United Nations in 2015—no poverty, sustainable development goal number one, and equality, of concern gender equality, and social equality, sustainable development goal number five—have acknowledged the significance of tourism in achieving sustainable development and the goals of sustainability in society (UN, 2016). This paper focuses on how tourism and the two Sustainable Development Goals interact over time and why the interrelationship is essential for tourism industry participants and other stakeholders in a society that tourism impacts now, in the past, and in the future.
The general purpose of this essay is to
- Discuss how tourism has helped people around the world deal with poverty.
- Discuss tourism as a means of promoting equality
- Outline the prospects of the interrelationship between tourism and each of the two social aspects
Poverty is defined as hunger, a lack of housing, and the inability to earn a living the following day (Watts, 1969). Social equality is founded on providing everyone with an equal opportunity to maximize their life experiences and make the best out of them (Fourie, Schuppert, and Wallimann-Helmer, 2015)
First core issue
Quantitative research has shown that tourism generally has positive outcomes by boosting economic expansion. In developing countries such as Mexico, the figures of tourism influence on the country’s workforce demonstrate how less skilled and illiterate citizens of developing nations like Mexico rely on tourism to obtain low-skilled jobs like tour guides and the hospitality industry, which require few skills. This helps the citizens of those individual countries to secure employment and earn a living, hence being able to fight poverty by having a hope of having the basic needs in the future (Wilson, T.D., 2008: pp.37-52).
The broad consensus among scholars of tourism economics regarding the suggestions that tourism helps to fight poverty and the theory on how tourism fights poverty is not well known, nor is the magnitude of these links well understood (Winters, Corral, and Mora, 2013: pp. 177-202). Despite the small number of studies that have been conducted, it has yet to be determined whether poverty and tourism are interrelated and influence each other (Gohori and van der Merwe, 2020: p.5305). In Nicaragua, for instance, poverty and tourism have an opposite relationship, whereby when tourism activities are high, the poverty levels become lower (Vanegas, Gartner, and Senauer, 2015: pp.159-182). The poor in Brazil have benefited from tourism, but only in comparison to the wealthy operators of the tourism industry, who have benefited more (A. Blake et al. 2008: pp 107-126). A discovery was that the impact of tourism on economic expansion was lessened when poverty was higher. Similarly, research revealed that Costa Rica’s higher poverty levels reduce tourism’s benefits in alleviating poverty levels ( Medina-Muñoz, and Gutiérrez-Pérez, 2016: 24(2), pp.270-298). However, it is possible to infer that, depending on the underlying factors in a given nation, tourism significantly impacts poverty, albeit on varying scales.
No research has proven that tourism is a factor in increasing any country’s higher poverty rates, and if there are any instances of this, researchers have yet to document them. Positively, tourism contributes to the reduction of poverty. The reason is that the tourism industry can provide citizens with well-paying jobs that help them make a living and have the means to meet their basic needs, helping them deal with poverty. The positions do not require a lot of skills, so there are more employment opportunities, even for people living in poverty, due to needing more skills in the jobs available in the country.
Continuous and progressive research is required to increase the understanding of how tourism can alleviate poverty in a broader context, not just through job creation. As a gesture of appreciation for the revenue generated by the location, the government could take the initiative of providing an increased allocation to the community in which the tourism sites are located, and this, on the other hand, could also help alleviate poverty in these tourism catchment societies.
Second core issue
Tourism has demonstrated a significant impact on social equality, particularly gender equality and income equality, to some extent, albeit inappropriately. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), women comprise at least 46% of the industry’s workforce worldwide. However, there is no absolute equality in terms of their level of income; most female employees earn less than men, and only a few hold managerial positions. Through employment, tourism alleviates poverty and generates income. Resource equality has existed in some societies, from the government sharing the revenue from tourism equitably to the equitable distribution of employment opportunities to society’s residents without discrimination (Jayswal and Jaiswal, 2015: pp.269-273).
Regarding the interrelationship between tourism and gender equality, previous research has shown that tourism has contributed to gender equality, particularly in societies where women are considered minors compared to men. Gender equality has significantly contributed to society’s increased income, particularly for women living in rural areas where tourism is prevalent. Since most women’s income comes from employment, there is a focus on expanding their employment opportunities. Literacy is critical for them to get even fewer skilled jobs, even though few studies have previously focused on gender equality and education in tourism. Therefore, it has been demonstrated that their active participation in tourism is endangered by a lack of formal education and training (UNWTO, 2019: pp8-9). As a result, women who have access to more educational opportunities will be able to obtain employment, advance to senior management positions, and become self-sufficient in tourism-based societies. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that tourism significantly contributes to gender equality by empowering women’s economies (Alarcón and Cole, 2019)
Even though the tourism industry has been demonstrated to promote gender equality, there are obstacles. Gender discrimination is the most detrimental factor in the gender pay gap in tourism. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that Islamic society’s conservative social traditions and customs harm women’s employment in tourism (Mazro’ei and Shaw, 2013: pp.175-189). Women’s positive impact on tourism has been diminished by gender culture in most traditional social norms where women are seen as inferiors and weak hence not allowed to march with their male counterparts. Therefore, societal civil education may alter the perception of sexism as an antiquated culture ingrained in their tradition, thus allowing equal participation and opportunities between men and women.
Sustainability will be significantly improved by additional research and studies on the most effective criteria for ensuring equality in the distribution of employment, funds, and government revenue to tourism-producing societies. Further research is required to allow women to participate in income-generating activities on an equal footing with men and to determine how traditional cultural beliefs in individual countries and practices regarding sexism could be transformed to reduce female discrimination. There is also a need to increase the esteem of women to allow them to feel empowered and take to hand the tasks society thinks they can’t do.
Third core section
The tourism industry is expanding. It is anticipated that in the future, employment will primarily be based on skills to alleviate poverty through work and the requirement for education. Currently, some jobs may not require any skills, while others may. This makes it easier for people who don’t know how to read and write to get a job and escape poverty. Literacy might one day be required for these jobs, which are currently regarded as requiring lower levels of expertise. Workers with the necessary knowledge and skills will attract more tourists. Based on this example, governments and society must set up schools and provide high-quality education. It is essential to define skill sets and knowledge sets, talk about structures, and get rid of old ways of doing things. Realize that tourism employment in the coming decades will differ from what is taught in now-defunct institutes (IITTMs). As a result, tourism’s evolving scene will need education as its foundation. Education must also be based on teaching responsible leadership skills, which are technically savvy. This makes it crystal clear that tourism education is necessary if people want to get an education in the field and help alleviate poverty (Hsu, C.H., 2005)
The number of tourists who visit the country each year will determine whether there will be equality in job opportunities in the industry. Based on studies of the Mexican economy and other developing economies, the number of tourists visiting the country has increased annually, except for 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 2.3 million paid occupants were reported in Mexico in 2017, accounting for 5.9% of all jobs. This rise in tourists has led to an increase in the number of paid occupants. Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs are among the occupants, providing the majority of tourist employment, passenger transportation, lodging, and handicraft activities. As the number of tourists continues to rise, there will be more vacancies if this trend continues. Tourism will not only increase employment opportunities, but it will also make it possible for equal distribution of government and employment revenue thanks to this development and the previous proposal to abolish archaic sexism in society through civil education (Garza-Rodriguez, 2019: p.845)
Conclusion
Based on my findings, one of the major contributors to poverty reduction and gender equality will continue to be tourism. The contrary might exist though persuasion is not enough to convince. As previously stated, tourism will continue to be essential to society’s well-being.
Tourism employment has proven to be one of the most important ways to not only give people a source of income but also to give them hope that they will be able to earn money in the future. As previously stated, tourism has helped alleviate poverty by providing low-skilled jobs that enable people of all literacy levels to make a living and provide for their basic needs.
Regarding the connection between equality and tourism, the industry has partially provided all members of society with equal opportunities. To ensure that men and women alike have equal employment opportunities, the community is urging the promotion of education. This will allow job descriptions to be based on level of expertise hence keeping off any form of discrimination. Civil education on the significance of female empowerment will also be important in ensuring equal employment opportunities.
There is a need to increase the standard of tourism education in the future to match an increasing number of tourists. This will allow for the provision of more high-quality services, which will result in attracting more tourists. Additionally, society must be educated on gender equality because some women may have a more significant potential for promoting the sector’s growth but are unable to take such opportunities.
In conclusion, employment opportunities must be continuously monitored to ensure equality in their distribution. In addition, it is necessary to keep a close eye on the relationship between an employer and employee to ensure that no one is exploited, which will prevent them from facing financial difficulties.
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