Analysis of the impact of tourism flows on environmental degradation. Case study: Municipality of Naxos & Small Cyclades, Greece

Abstract

From the 19th century until nowadays, tourism is an enormously evolving activity. In recent years, tourism has become the main economic activity in Greece that boosts the local economy of the country. The present study deals with the environmental impacts of tourism. The aim is to delve the correlation between tourism flows and environmental degradation, especially in the Municipality of Naxos & Small Cyclades in Greece which in recent years has become an attractive tourist destination. For the purpose of the study, appropriate monthly data on environmental degradation are collected and are correlated with monthly flows of tourism during the last years for the Municipality of Naxos & Small Cyclades. The collected data refer to the number of visitors (by plane and ship), their overnight stays in tourist accommodations, waste production, energy consumption, water consumption and quality of sea water for swimming. According to results, during the period of increased tourism flows in the Municipality of Naxos & Small Cyclades (almost triple the permanent population of the Municipality), indices of burden such as energy consumption and production, water consumption and amount of waste generated, are increasing. Also, the quality of sea water for swimming is marginally burdened.