Tourism may generate social costs, often difficult to estimate, but which are
no less serious for that reason. An example is the threat to traditional
customs specific to each country and sometimes to particular regions.
However, tourism may become the guarantor of the maintenance of certain
original traditions which attract the holidaymaker. It is important to protect
and maintain the cultural heritage and deal with connected problems: the
illegal trade in historic objects and animals, unofficial archaeological
research, erosion of aesthetic values and of a certain technical know-how,
disappearance of high-quality craft skills, etc.
The commercialization of traditional cultural events may lead to the
creation of pseudo-culture, ersatz folklore for the tourist, with no cultural
value for the local population or the visitors. The same applies where the
craftsman is concerned. The issue is the potential conflict between the
economic and the cultural interests, leading to culture being sacrificed for
reasons of promoting tourism, i.e. creating an additional economic value at
the price of losing a cultural value. However, the exposure of resident
populations to other cultures due to tourism would appear to be an
irreversible process. On a social level, well-organized tourism can favour
contacts between holidaymakers and the local population, will encourage
cultural exchanges, will lead to friendly and responsible enjoyment and
finally, will strengthen links between countries.
From the viewpoint of tourism planned to respect the physical and
human environment, other positive advantages can be mentioned. The most
significant are given below: