We would therefore conclude that two types of relationships exist between tourism and
the environment, a symbiotic one and a competitive one. In the symbiotic relationship the
environment and the tourism coexist harmoniously and to an extent they complement each
other. Human activities do not degrade the natural environment; on the contrary they strengthen it resulting in mutual benefit. Namely, the bonds of natural environment and
tourist activity are:
● a lot of characteristics and elements of natural environment constitute poles of attraction
for tourists;
● the tourist establishments and the more general infrastructure constitute elements of
anthropogenic influence for the environment;
● the tourist growth and activity in a region involve environmental repercussions, degrading
the quality of the tourist product, which in other words is the environment.
Also an important positive repercussion is the characterization of a region as protected and of
an ecological interest as well as in the improvement of networks of infrastructure.