Tourism Development and Water Pollution: Case Study in Lijiang Ancient Town

Tourism development results in water pollution not only in water-scarce areas, but also in areas with relatively abundant water resources, such as Lijiang Ancient Town (LAT). In this article, LAT is described for its use of the freshwater resource, on account of its attractive landscaping. Tourism here has grown rapidly in recent years and at the same time the water quality has deteriorated sharply. Several investigations have been made, with the aim of finding out the causes and consequences of water quality deterioration because of tourism development. The results show that the present mode of water utilization is not sustainable, and some of the local residents have already complained about water quality degradation. Increasing numbers of tourists, relative service infrastructures, such as, shops, restaurants, and hotels, and in addition, insufficient management measures, result in the decline of water quality. Countermeasures on water management approaches are suggested to deal with the current water pollution, and make tourism development sustainable..