Community impact

Growing tourism in the north of Sri Lanka is having a major impact on local communities. Access to beaches, which have been a major source of income and livelihood for most families, who are dependent on fishing, for generations, is being increasingly restricted because beaches are being blocked for tourism use.

Half a million Indigenous peoples' livelihoods are threatened in Tanzania

The most known Indigenous group in Tanzania is the Maasai, with an estimated population of 430,000. Many Maasais are dependent on their livestock for survival. These pastoralist communities depend on their land to feed their animals, as their families have done for generations.

The 2018 report by the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs reveals cases where the government’s concern for conserving the remaining nature and generating incomes from tourists is put above concern for the Maasai’s livelihood, despite the fact that several reports find that granting land rights to Indigenous peoples is often the best way to conserve nature.

Thailand’s Indigenous people risk losing more of their land to hotels and national parks amid an unchecked tourism boom that has marginalized them (...).

As demand for land for hotels and other tourism facilities grows, authorities are targeting Indigenous land, said Emilie Pradichit, director of human rights group Manushya Foundation, which this week published a report on Thai Indigenous rights.

According to news from the Business & Human Rights Resource Center from 4 July 2019, 250 Communities in Mexico are to be Relocated for Mayan Train Project in Mexico. 

As part of the Mayan Train project, the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (FONATUR) on Thursday reported that it plans to relocate 250 communities which are close to 15 railroad stations.

FONATUR plans to build homes, shops, linear parks, wildlife bridges and even modify roads adjacent to each terminal, but also what will be the seat of the municipal palace. According to a document, profits will not come from transportation alone, but from the infrastructure and services that will be established around each station.

The 28-page document explains that one of the first terminals that will be built will be that of Palenque, Chiapas, which will work as a prototype for the rest of the stations, as well as that of Calakmul, in Campeche. Regarding Palenque, the plan aims to develop the five-sided infrastructure. The station will be located in the center surrounded by commercial pavilions and a central square in the front that will be located some few meters from the municipal palace. The Palenque station includes government services, a solid waste management and water treatment plant.

In December 2019, the Mexico office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a string of criticisms of the country's consultations with indigenous communities over its planned Mayan Train project. The U.N. office found that the consultations were flawed and the process “has not complied with all international standards on human rights.”

In May 2020, Mexico’s national human rights commission demanded the government halt construction of the Mayan Train railroad, saying non-essential work on the ambitious tourism project risked coronavirus exposure by vulnerable indigenous groups.

Zanzibar imposes mandatory dress code for tourists

In public places, tourists must cover their bodies from shoulders to knees.

Zanzibar's Stone Town airport has received an average of about 30,000 tourists in recent months. Locals were often shocked by the appearance and lack of clothing of some travellers. As a result, the authorities decided to introduce a dress code. In public places, tourists have to cover their bodies from the shoulders to the knees.

Zanzibar Tourism Minister Lela Mohammed Moussa said fines and penalties will be imposed on tourists, tour guides and tour operators for inappropriate dress in public on the island. Depending on the severity of the offence, the tourist can be fined USD 700 or more. Tour operators face fines of USD 1000-2000 and more.

"In public places in Zanzibar, tourists have to cover their bodies from shoulders to knees. This is nothing new. It is the duty of the guests to understand the culture and the rules of conduct on the street.", the minister said. 

"Community" conservancies devastate land & lives in Northern Kenya 

The Northern Rangelands Trust is an association of protected areas covering 42,000 km². The area originally belonged to local shepherd communities of Samuru and Maasai but today, many of the protected areas are hosting luxury safari lodges. The Oakland Institute published a report which exposes human rights violations during the conversion process. It also documents the dispossession of indigenous and other local communities, abuse and torture, killings, disappearances, the use of private armed security forces, and intimidation, as well as arrest of members and leaders of local communities. In addition, the report makes public that millions of dollars in grants have flowed - including from the EU, U.S. agencies, and major conservation organizations.

The Rangeland Trust is not an isolated case. Again and again, there are evictions for the expansion of private and state protected areas. At its "Our Land Our Nature" conference, the non-governmental organization Survival International and other organizations joined in calling for a halt to the expansion of new protected areas. Conservation and biodiversity are best achieved when local communities engage actively and when their rights are respected. 

Cambodia: Land disputes and livelihood concerns embroil Chinese tourism development projects in Ream National Park

Ream National Park was once meant to be a model of sustainable ecotourism, but powerful business interests have other plans for the richly diverse beauty spot. The mangrove forests, wetlands and rocky coasts that supported abundant wildlife in the park have also attracted opportunistic developers. Cambodia’s government has granted development rights for mass tourism resorts leading to deforestation and the drainage of ecologically vital mangroves.

Dharavi: tourism in the biggest slum in Asia

Dharavi is presented as a unique place, where precariousness but also hard work prevail. During the past few years, it has received growing tourist attention that has placed it in the middle of a broad ethical controversy, becoming the reflection of an inequality-based society.

As tourists return to Europe, some top destinations want fewer of them

In one of Europe's most picturesque national parks, officials have embraced a surprising goal: They want to make the site appear less stunning. As the world’s top international tourism destination, France has in recent months prioritized such moves to balance a recovery of the industry with strides toward greater sustainability. In parts of southern France, for example, a popular GPS navigation software has been programmed to suggest alternatives to overcrowded top destinations.

In Tanzania, the Maasai may lose their land – again

In the shadow of Serengeti National Park, some 70,000 people from the local community may soon lose the land they call home. The podcast features the Maasai, an indigenous semi-nomadic community living alongside safari tours and game hunters. The Tanzanian government says that one of the areas where they live, Loliondo, is overpopulated and that it is threatening a the ecosystem famed for its wild animals. The regional East African Court of Justice has ruled that Tanzania’s decision to cordon off land for wildlife protection was legal. The government claims it wants to “protect” 1,500 square kilometres of the area from human activity, but rights groups claim this sent a dangerous message that Indigenous peoples can be evicted from their land in the name of conservation.

Mass evictions at Angkor Wat leave 10,000 families facing uncertain future

There are nearly 10,000 families across Angkor archaeological park being evicted by the Cambodian government which says it is necessary to preserve the famous park. Residents describe it as losing their homes and livelihoods. Some residents have been promised small plots of land at a relocation site about 12 miles (20km) away, but the area is sparsely populated, largely undeveloped with no school or hospital and has few job prospects. Angkor archaeological park was designated a Unesco world heritage site in 1992. With its array of Khmer empire temples dating back to the ninth century, it is Cambodia’s most popular attraction, powering the local economy with more than 2 million visitors every year. Tourism provides virtually the only source of income for those living near the temples.

Angkor water crisis

Angkor, one of the world’s most fascinating collection of monuments and temple ruins, is spread over 400 square kilometres within the UNESCO-protected Angkor archaeological park. It has attracted a growing number of tourists since it opened up less than 25 years ago. As visitors put tremendous strain on the area’s scarce water resources, the Angkor complex, which harbours 112 villages and forests within its boundaries, is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.

Sinking Maldives plans to reclaim land from the ocean

A controversial project to reclaim land on an atoll threatened by rising sea levels has been announced in the Maldives, with hopes that it may boost tourism balanced against fears that it could “choke the ecosystem”. The low-lying island nation, one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, has commissioned a major shore protection and land reclamation scheme using sand dredged from a lagoon, despite concerns about the impact on this Unesco biosphere reserve. Ali Nizar, mayor of Addu City, told the Guardian this would cause less environmental damage than repeated small projects, and give the region an economic future and land for the next generation. “Addu doesn’t have land for other economic activities and industrial use at the moment,” he said, admitting: “It’s a difficult decision that we have taken.” Although there is public support for the project, an environmental impact assessment has raised concerns. The Addu Atoll was made a Unesco reserve in 2020, thanks to seagrass beds and mangrove forests that act as carbon sinks and also provide local people with a living from diving tourism and fishing. Sara Naseem, advocacy manager at Transparency Maldives, said guaranteed environmental safeguards needed to be in place, and is concerned that local people will not benefit enough. “The additional islands that are being reclaimed are for tourism development, to be given to the rich and elite for them to build businesses,” she said.