Tourism as a Creator of Sustainable Human Capital

Across the world, tourism can have a profound impact on society, economy and environment of nations. Socially, one of the most immediate benefits of the tourism industry is its ability to create employment and, an added benefit is that it caters for both skilled and unskilled employment. As a labor-intensive industry, tourism has the potential to create more jobs per unit of investment than any other industry and can be a useful source of employment for young people, women and people with limited skills. Environmentally, when properly developed and managed, tourism can serve as a mechanism for protecting natural environments; preserving historical, archaeological and religious monuments; and, stimulating the practice of local cultures, folklore, traditions, arts and crafts, and cuisine. And, economically, tourism brings many benefits to the Central Government, local authorities as well as the private sector through the generation of foreign revenue, financial returns on investment, taxation on tourists and tourist products, and, linkages to other local industries such as agriculture and fisheries.