CT MODULE 8

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The cruise ships, their passengers, or their suppliers may cause environmental impacts from cruise tourism. The primary impacts are disruption to aquatic systems, pollution, and environmental degradation.

IMPACTS FROM PHYSICAL ARRIVAL OF CRUISE SHIPS

-Navigating and landing cruise ships at a destination causes aquatic disruption. If not properly zoned and regulated, cruise tourism can contribute to the loss of habitats or species in marine environments caused by facility construction, ship navigation, discharge and shore excursions.

-Impacts may also include eutrophication and coral bleaching, as well as mangrove depletion.?

Impacts may also occur from discharge of bilge water and other waste. 4 Though not as significantly

MARINE DEGRADATION

can impinge on a destination's recreational offerings (beaches, snorkeling, diving, boat excursions) as well as its livelihoods derived from fishing, causing losses of income. This type of degradation can also disrupt various ecosystem services, including climate regulation.

AIR POLLUTION

- occurs from particulate matter emitted when ships burn fuel while docked at a destination without adequate purification systems. This pollution can cause health issues, as well as degrade the façades of historic buildings and other facilities.

NOISE POLLUTION

-may also occur as ships arrive and as large numbers of passengers disembark.

In addition to affecting local inhabitants, noise produced by cruise ships' engines, propellers, generators and bearings can cause marine species such as whales to accidentally collide with vessels or abandon their natural habitat.

SOCIAL IMPACTS

Cruise tourism’s social impacts are encompassed by the effects it has on local stakeholders. They may be derived from environmental impacts or arise from interaction among groups. Common impacts associated with cruise tourism are congestion, cultural heritage degradation and community disruption.

CONGESTION

Cruise passenger visitor flows may disrupt or congest local traffic and pedestrian routes. This type of congestion, termed People Pollution, crowds areas used by inhabitants. Changing local infrastructure to accommodate visitor flows may reduce congestion, but may also be unfavorable to locals if preference is given to accommodating tourists.

CULTURAL HERITAGE DEGRADATION

Impacts to a destination's cultural heritage generally result from poor management of large-scale visitation in finite periods and exist in two forms. First, local communities and traditional cultures may be impacted, especially in rural areas where their intangible heritage forms an attraction despite their not wanting to interact with cruise passengers.

COMMUNITY DISRUPTION

Finally, social impacts include dissatisfaction with local stakeholders who do not perceive that their communities receive adequate benefits from cruise tourism despite being subjected to other types of disruption and impacts.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Two overarching economic risks exist for a destination when cruise tourism is developed:

First, cruise tourism arrivals cease despite a destination becoming reliant on its revenues because a cruise line or lines decide no longer to call at that port.

Second, cruise lines continue to call at a destination even though it is no longer desirable by most local stakeholders to receive the ships and their passengers and costs more for a destination to receive cruise ships than is covered by the corresponding revenues.

Economic benetif and long-term vitality

Cruise tourism should be considered within the context of a destination's long-term vitality. Cruise lines may change itineraries and lower visitation to destinations and attractions that become run-down, overcrowded, unsafe, or lose too much of their original authenticity.

LEAKAGE AND ECONOMIC MULTIPLIER EFFECT

The vertical integration strategies of cruise lines can inhibit the participation of local business. When cruise lines develop their own port reception facilities they have more influence and control on the retail outlets allowed to operate within the facilities and may give preference to their international partners over local business.