A goal of developing the tourism industry in a community is maximizing
selected positive impacts while minimizing potential negative impacts.
First, it is essential to identify the possible impacts. To u r i s m
researchers have identified a large number of impacts. Grouping
the impacts into categories shows the types of impacts that could
result from developing tourism in a community. The following
tables list a range of important tourism impacts in a concise
format. Readers needing additional information about specific
impacts should contact appropriate professionals or consult
tourism texts and research papers.
A community will not experience every impact. Some are
dependent on particular natural resource features (mountains,
coral reefs) or development and spatial patterns (special
"tourist zones"). Others relate to the social condition of the
c o m m u n i t y, particularly the ability to culturally or socially connect
with tourists. Still others relate to types and intensity of tourism
developments, i.e., approval or hostility toward tourist activities.
The following tables are extensive but not all-inclusive.