You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1
People have different views about the effect of the international tourism. While I accept that international tourism has some positive impacts on our lives, I believe that it has more negative impacts compared to positive ones.
On the one hand, International tourism has many advantages. Firstly from the personal perspective, tourism is a most popular leisure activity. Tourists can relax and have fun by sightseeing a new place. Also, tourism broadens their horizons and opened minds by exposing them to different cultures and customs. Secondly, from an economic perspective, tourism industry plays a vital role in many countries. People may rely on tourism for their income. Also, tourism industry creates many jobs opportunities in services like hotels and restaurants. As a result, international tourism improves the standard of living in some local areas.
On the other hand, I believe that International tourism has more negative impacts on the environment and local cultures. From an environmental perspective, tourism may affect the environment negatively in three ways. Firstly, the excessive building needed by tourism industry could destroy natural habitats and even may result in the extinction of many animals and plants. Also, international tourism causes more pollution and wastage. Finally, Tourism industry puts more pressure on natural resources like oil and water and this may lead to the shortage of some basic human needs. From a cultural perspective, tourism may affect local cultures negatively. Traditional jobs and skills like farming and fishing may die out because tourism forces people to work in their services. So, this may lead to loss of many cultural features and values.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential dangers of international tourism on the environment and culture are more significant than the possible benefits on personal and economical sectors. Governments should impose laws to protect the environment and local cultures.
[ Written by – Safa Ahmed ]
Sample Answer 2
It is a fact that international tourism has already become a popular and huge industry these days, and many towns and cities have taken the benefits of it. However, some people worry that the activity might have a negative effect on the local communities. The following essay will discuss advantages and disadvantages of international tourism. However, I believe that it has more benefits than the drawbacks.
On the one hand, some people think that international tourism activities bring some disadvantages for the local societies. The main reason is that they are afraid that the local environment would be distracted as more and more people come to the place. For example, Mount Everest is one of the top destinations for international travellers, but it is reported that the amount of garbage that tourists produce has increased rapidly in the past few years. Consequently, it might have a catastrophic effect on the local environment there. Another reason is that tourists would bring some negative cultures to the local people. For instance, some western people like to drink the alcoholic beverage, and elders of the local societies are afraid that the local people would also be interested in drinking those liquors. Finally, the treat of the terrorist attack is another negative aspect of international tourism according to many.
On the other hand, many people believe that travelling abroad for leisure activities would bring a lot of benefits for the destination places. Firstly, it creates a lot of job opportunities for the local people as some of them could become tour guides or can run small businesses. Secondly, when foreign travellers come to a country, they will spend their money for various activities. It means that they will also bring revenue to the local government in the form of tax. As a result, the government would have enough budgets for maintaining the public facilities around the places and the local environment as well. Lastly, it also attracts investors in building resorts and hotels in the surrounding areas. The development of these places will absorb many employments not only from the local area but from other cities and countries as well.
In conclusion, despite its negative effects, I personally believe that global tourism industries would bring more benefits to the local inhabitants and communities. It boosts the economic condition of the country and creates job opportunities for the local people. As for the negative effects, it really depends on how the government would make clear regulations and implement them.
[ Written by – Darwin Lesmana ]