{"id":25740,"date":"2019-07-29T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T06:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=25740"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:40:02","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:40:02","slug":"pacific-islands-overtourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/pacific-islands-overtourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacific Islands: the Paradises ruined by ‘Overtourism’"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Overtourism’: too much mass tourism threatens fragile ecosystems, such as the Pacific Islands. Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand the most affected countries. Strategies to preserve destinations and promote responsible tourism are essential<\/h2>\n

Admiring the photos of the dream beaches of some islands of Polynesia<\/strong> or the Philippines is not surprising if in the last few years these have become one of the most popular destinations for tourists from all over the world.\u00a0The number of people that visit the countries of the South Pacific is constantly increasing, in 2017 has been more than 2 million visitors. This tourism boom has many causes: traveling around the world is becoming more and easier, the promotional campaigns are increasing and the tourism industry in these countries is improving. Social media also played an important role, in fact, the most beautiful photos shared by the influencers were taken right in these beaches and are shown to thousands of people who want to see the same places, take the same pictures with those breath-taking views.\u00a0Besides,, who haven\u2019t ever dreamt of relaxing on one of those fine sandy beaches and take a dip in those crystal-clear waters?<\/p>\n

\"overtourism
the island of Boracay, Photo by Hector Periquin on Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, those postcard landscapes<\/strong> and the unspoiled shores risk becoming just a memory: the phenomenon of mass tourism is giving a hard time to the fragile environments of these countries. The destruction of some parts of the territory to make room for resorts and the problems related to waste disposal are just a little part of the damage caused by tourism overcrowding.<\/p>\n

For some years the Pacific islands have been suffering from ‘overtourism’,<\/strong> a phenomenon that signals the presence of too many tourists<\/strong> in some areas of the globe. This is what happens in the most famous tourist<\/strong> destinations in Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia, where the daily presence of visitors has increased exponentially in a short time and is threatening delicate ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It is estimated that 60% of the total\u00a0plastic pollution<\/strong> in the oceans<\/a> is in the Pacific Ocean. The accumulation of plastic between Hawaii and California has formed a giant \u201cplastic island<\/strong>\u201d which is three times the size of France. The presence of all this plastic in ocean partly depends on the fishing activity (most of the plastic trash that had been found are fishing nets), but also on the garbage that tourists leave on the beaches.
\nIn addition, to contaminate a huge part of the ocean, this garbage is also eaten by the fishes that we ourselves eat.<\/p>\n

Many islands have already had serious damages to their environments. This phenomenon affects especially Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Maya Bay<\/h2>\n
\"Maya
Maya Bay, Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

One of the most famous cases is \u201cMaya Bay\u201d, in the island Ko Ko Phi Phi Leh, Thailand. This beach has become very famous for being the set of the movie \u201cThe Beach<\/strong>\u201d with Leonardo Di Caprio.
\nOver the years thousands of people have come to the isle to see the dreamy location of the movie. The phenomenon of overtourism<\/strong> caused coral reef erosion, the increase in waste on beaches and plastic in the oceans. As a result, marine fauna has suffered irreparable damage.<\/p>\n

Bali<\/h2>\n