Human Geography Page 4 of 4 Public Aid for Tourism Since 1945, four main phases of tourist development have taken place in the Alps:- provision of infrastructure straight after the war, including cable railways, chair lifts and ski lifts. opening up of new tourist areas, subsidies given for accommodation and providing more facilities like swimming pools. from 1965, the emphasis moved to improving the standards of accommodation, running water, showers and a rapid increase in the number of beds available. An attempt to coordinate plans and activities of different areas was made. projects aimed at increasing the general attractiveness of the resort, easier travel, tourist information services, organisation of events and the improvement and upkeep of ski runs. Problems posed by tourism a. Natural Hazards Catastrophes such as avalanches, mountain torrents and landslides are typical hazards in high mountains. The rapid growth of tourism has exposed more people to these dangers. Traveling in mountain areas can also be hazardous, with many accidents occurring. Measures need to be taken to avoid unplanned development or inadequate planning which ignores the natural conditions. Ski slopes cause scarring to the landscape b. Management Problems Tourists are demanding more comfort. The tourist areas have to adapt to cater for the increasing number of visitors. Many facilities now over 10 years old must almost be considered out of date. Resorts face increasing competition from other parts of the Alps. Tourism, of course, is partly dependant of fashion and this is very difficult to predict. The short tourist season gives a low return on capital investment. Many small enterprises still dominate the Alpine scene, rather than large organisations. Jobs in tourism are not always the most attractive. A mass of unskilled, immigrant labour is often needed during the height of the season, the quality of service may thus suffer. c. Social Problems With rapid changes in settlements, new buildings may not be in harmony with the surroundings. Building regulations are important in controlling unwanted development. Imaginative new designs for tourist centres are rare and ideas for successfully integrating the existing rural settlement are often lacking. Tourist settlements are ideal for property speculation and housing prices have rocketed. It is thus hardly surprising that high rise developments are mushrooming. The local population resent and often object to the new developments. A further issue is that of second home ownership. Many of the owners are foreigners and are much better off than the locals. This forces property prices up beyond what locals can afford. The cost of services and essential goods also is high. The towns may be virtually deserted for much of the year, if second home ownership continues to increase. Land is in short supply and community projects, like sports grounds and car parks may be difficult to build. Second home owners contribute little to the economy of the region. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Page 4 of 4