Tourists: Gotta Have ‘Em or Hapless Hinderance?
Pro
By Lincoln White-Day
Silver beach. The Carousel. Krasl Art Fair. These features, unique to St. Joe, are what bring it so much life--not to mention all of them existing in a lively, cultured downtown. With beaches rated high in magazines throughout the country, and a blend of a hometown feel with a healthy, forested environment, it’s no wonder we’re flooded with tourists every year. However, is this really a good thing?
Without an annual influx of tourists, many of the small businesses populating the downtown St. Joe area would collapse and our local economy would go belly-up. Furthermore, without tourists to incentivise a clean and pretty summer experience, our beaches will cease to be maintained and our natural parks degrade in their chance of revival through outside attraction. St. Joe would soon become an unremarkable town sitting on the east coast of Lake Michigan; therefore, tourists are indeed essential to our livelihood.
“[Tourists] are a big part of our economy,” Kole Parrett, 12, noted. “In the summer, I’d say there are more tourists here and around downtown than actual St. Joseph citizens… they support our small local businesses. [Tourists] have a positive impact, for sure.”
Furthermore, not only does tourism keep our economy afloat, it also succeeds to help grow our town’s population. When families come to visit our beaches from all over the nation, some love it so much they decide to move here; our local school system can be a large attraction as well.
“We’ve had several [families] come over from Illinois and they’re checking out our area… they look at our school and say, ‘Hey, we want to come to St. Joe because we like the area and the lake,’” Mrs. Ann Essig stated. “I’ve had two this year so far, and I think they’re going to plan on moving here.”
This summer and throughout the foreseeable future, we may even expect a larger turnout in tourism than we averaged in the past as Covid restrictions are continuing to be lifted across the nation. For many, this upcoming summer will be the first without crippling quarantines, and people are antsy for a swim and time under the sun. For small businesses recovering from covid themselves, this is a win-win for everyone. However, it’s no secret that us locals aren’t always partial to our essential invaders.
“It’s hard to find parking and driving downtown is terrible,” Cece Soler, 12, said. As most St. Josephites will agree, tourists can be a little invasive, and as in Mrs. Essig’s case, she tries not to go downtown at all in the summertime, if she can help it--everything’s simply too crowded. Nevertheless, tourism is still quite necessary, and beyond the surface-level inconveniences, most locals don’t mind too much. “I think it’s fun to see our small town get so packed in the summer on our beaches… seeing our small town flourish is fun to see,” Cece stated.
Con
By Hailey Mercado
Crowded streets, lines out the door, and no room to lay a towel down at the beach is what a typical day for downtown St. Joseph looks like–a place many tourists flock to in the summer. But, what does this mean for the environment? According to the Environmental Impact Of Tourism’s research center, there are three main areas that are negatively affected by tourism.
One of those points is the depletion of natural resources. For instance, by having to supply water for hotels, swimming pools, and golf courses, water shortages are becoming more common. At the same time, it’s producing more waste than normal. On top of that, land resources such as fossil fuels, forests, and wetland are put under pressure during construction of these tourist attractions--ruining the once scenic area.
Pollution remains another issue that coincides with tourism. The emissions from transportation and energy production alone are not only linked to acid rain, but to global warming as well: the US, China, and Germany are the biggest contributors. Besides that, tourists often leave trash and waste without a second thought. This can ruin the ecosystem and marine life.
“Sometimes there is a lot of plastic on the beach. If you go to the beach the day after the 4th of July, all you'll see are beer cans and plastic. It's really sad. A lot of trash can also be seen in the water because on the 4th, a lot of boats anchor by the beaches, and oftentimes, they spill or dump their trash into the lake. There also aren't a lot of options as far as recycling goes: I usually only see trash cans at a beach when there is a lot of opportunity for recycling (beer cans). Maybe adding some more recycling options on all of the beaches (Silver Beach down to Lions) would be beneficial to helping the trash problem,” Sonia Komdeur, 12, said.
And what about the people that actually live in these tourist spots? Noise pollution--defined as the exposure of high level sounds that affect humans and other living organisms according to the National Geographic Society, is a problem many people have to experience if they live in a tourist hotspot. It can disrupt a person’s routine and can even cause several health problems: high blood pressure, stress, and irregular sleeping patterns.
“I appreciate the amount tourists tip at my work-place but it can get annoying--especially in the summer,” Maddie Ugalde, 11, said. “They take all of the parking spots and it’s hard to go anywhere for dinner since there’s so many of them”
I’m not saying to stop vacationing completely, and it is nice to see everyone enjoying time with their loved ones and trying new things, but it’s imperative to remember the consequences of our actions and how it may affect those around us.