The social and environmental impacts of tourism and Leisure, a case study of Hollingworth Lake.

Abstract

Tourism is one of the world largest economies, generating billions of dollars in revenue every single year. This however can pose problems for the community in which the tourism is focused. Some area of the world have adapted accordingly, places such as Orlando Florida where the tourist activities are spread over tens of miles, leaving plenty of breathing room for the local population to live and work. It is however a different story in smaller communities where the tourist activities are much more compacted around one main attraction.

This study looks at Hollingworth Lake which is situated on the outskirts of the village of Littleborough near Rochdale in the North West of England. The lake was originally constructed for the purpose of providing water to the Rochdale canal during the 19th century, however it soon became an attraction for those living nearby. Families would go for the weekend and enjoy fishing, boating and walking. Today it remains much the same, but with the rise in the use of the motor car making people much more mobile, the lake seems to be becoming ever more popular. The issue here is that the lake sits within a small compact community which was not built to handle hundreds if not thousands of tourists.
The aim of this study then was to assess the implications of tourism at Hollingworth Lake to find out just how well or not as the case may be, the community can cope with the sheer number of tourists visiting. The main focus was on the issues of parking and the roads, but also on a more social aspect, asking the people themselves their opinions on such issues.
The outcome of the study was that there is a major issue with overuse at Hollingworth Lake. Public footpaths are becoming worn, litter bins are more often than not overflowing and there is not enough available parking which can cause people to park illegally on double yellow lines or on restricted residential roads, leaving a very bad impression on the local community of the visiting tourists.