Humanities and Social Sciences · Year 9 · Geographies of Interconnections · Term 3

Impact of Tourism on Places

Explore the economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism on different places, both positive and negative.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9G9K04

About This Topic

Digital Connectivity examines how the internet and social media have fundamentally changed our sense of 'place' and how we connect with the world. This topic (AC9G9K03) investigates the impact of the digital revolution on global social movements, the economy, and our personal lives. Students look at how information can now travel instantly across the globe, bypassing traditional borders.

However, the unit also explores the 'digital divide', the gap between those who have access to high-speed internet and those who don't, and how this creates new forms of inequality. For Year 9 students, this is a chance to reflect on their own 'digital footprint'. This topic comes alive when students can map their own digital connections and investigate the global impact of social media campaigns.

Key Questions

1. Analyze the economic benefits and drawbacks of tourism for local communities.
2. Explain the cultural exchange and potential conflicts arising from tourism.
3. Assess the environmental footprint of mass tourism and strategies for sustainable tourism.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the economic benefits and drawbacks of tourism for local communities in specific case study locations.
• Explain the cultural exchange and potential conflicts arising from tourism in diverse global settings.
• Evaluate the environmental footprint of mass tourism and propose strategies for sustainable tourism development.
• Compare the impacts of different types of tourism, such as ecotourism versus mass tourism, on a chosen place.

Before You Start

Understanding Human-Environment Interactions

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of how human activities affect the environment to analyze the impacts of tourism.

Economic Systems and Markets

Why: A grasp of basic economic principles is necessary to understand the economic benefits and drawbacks of tourism for communities.

Key Vocabulary

Tourism Footprint	The total impact of tourism activities on the environment, economy, and society of a place, encompassing resource use, pollution, and cultural changes.
Cultural Commodification	The process where cultural elements, such as traditions or artifacts, are turned into products for sale to tourists, potentially altering their original meaning or authenticity.
Carrying Capacity	The maximum number of tourists a destination can handle without causing damage to its environment, culture, or economy, and without diminishing the quality of the visitor experience.
Sustainable Tourism	Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

The internet is 'everywhere' and everyone has access to it.

What to Teach Instead

Billions of people still have little or no access to the internet, which limits their economic and educational opportunities. Using 'global connectivity' maps helps students see this divide.

Common Misconception

Online connections are 'less real' than face-to-face ones.

What to Teach Instead

For many people, digital connections are a vital source of support, information, and political action. A 'digital impact' brainstorm helps students see the real-world consequences of online life.

Active Learning Ideas

Collaborative Mapping: My Digital Footprint

Students map where the servers, companies, and people they interact with online are located. They discuss how many 'borders' they cross in a single day of internet use.

40 min·Individual

Think-Pair-Share: The Power of a Hashtag

Students research a global social movement that started online (e.g., #BlackLivesMatter or #ClimateStrike). They discuss in pairs how social media helped the movement grow.

25 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: The Digital Divide

Display maps and data showing internet access around the world. Students move in pairs to identify which regions are 'connected' and which are 'left behind', and discuss the consequences.

40 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• The Great Barrier Reef faces challenges from increased visitor numbers, prompting management strategies like visitor limits and designated diving zones to mitigate environmental damage.
• The town of Queenstown, New Zealand, has experienced significant economic growth due to adventure tourism, but also grapples with housing affordability and infrastructure strain caused by its popularity.
• Indigenous communities in parts of Canada and Australia are developing community-based tourism initiatives to share their culture authentically while ensuring economic benefits remain local and cultural integrity is preserved.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a tourism planner for a newly discovered, pristine island. What are the top three economic benefits you would aim for, and what are the top three potential negative impacts you would actively seek to prevent?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their ideas and justify their choices.

Quick Check

Provide students with a short case study of a real-world tourism destination (e.g., Venice, Bali, Machu Picchu). Ask them to identify and list one positive economic impact, one negative social impact, and one environmental challenge associated with tourism in that location.

Exit Ticket

On a small card, ask students to write down one strategy for making tourism more sustainable in a popular destination and one example of how tourism can lead to cultural exchange.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 'digital divide'?

It is the gap between people who have easy access to the internet and digital technology and those who do not. This can be based on wealth, location, or age.

How has the internet changed global trade?

It has made it much easier for small businesses to sell to a global market and has led to the rise of massive 'digital' companies like Amazon and Google.

What is the impact of social media on global politics?

It allows people to organise and share information quickly, which can be a powerful tool for democracy, but it can also be used to spread misinformation and polarise society.

How can active learning help students understand digital connectivity?

By mapping their own digital lives and investigating global online movements, students see the internet as a geographical space with real-world impacts. This active approach helps them move beyond 'using' the internet to 'understanding' its power and its limitations.