The question of who gets the benefits and who pays the costs is complex. Although visitors expect some tourism money to directly benefit the local population surrounding the area, in some cases little of that money is actually distributed to the local communities. Moreover, much of the economic impact literature focuses only on benefits. Limited attention has been given to the economic costs imposed by the infrastructure developed to attract, accommodate and facilitate tourism or to the costs of maintaining and/or restoring park resources that are adversely affected by tourism. This raises the concern of whether the perceived economic returns of tourism in or associated with protected areas will lead to inappropriate developments and/or use levels that threaten the conservation objectives upon which the park is founded.
Arguments for tourism’s ability to generate employment is also problematic as often employment goes to persons residing outside of the area. Wages also are typically low and tourism is highly seasonal in many areas. Economic benefits are also subject to external changes, such as shifts in exchange rates that can rapidly change the ‘ attractiveness’ of a location as the cost of holidaying is one of the most important factors in determining the desirability of a region.