A framework for the assessment of the global environmental costs of tourism

Tourism is regarded to be the world's largest industry, with about 8% of the worldwide export value of goods and services coming from tourism. Receipts from international tourism are in the order of US$ 475 billion (2000 values). These benefits resulting from international travel can be weighted against the environmental costs of tourism, including the loss of biodiversity, ecosystems, land, and natural resources such as fresh water; the exchange and dispersion of diseases such as Malaria, HIV or SARS; and the more general costs associated with more extreme weather patterns resulting from global climate change. This contribution seeks to establish a framework for the assessment of the environmental costs associated with international travel.