You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.
Tourism is becoming increasingly important as a source of revenue to many countries, but its disadvantages should not be overlooked. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample answer
It is an undeniable fact that tourist spots in every country have become more popular and have so many visitors. The development of tourism has so many benefits, such as more income from tourists and exposure of culture, although the drawbacks of this development cannot be ignored. This essay discusses the drawbacks of tourism for such countries followed by relevant examples. I agree that the disadvantages of the tourism should be handled prudently to lessen its adverse effects on a country.
Firstly, tourism activities can threaten the traditional culture of a country. Local people tend to imitate the cultures that are brought by the tourists from their home countries. Based on a cultural research conducted in Indonesia last year, local people stated that their traditional cultures are not suitable to the modern era, whereas the cultures brought by tourists to their country are more suitable and modern. For example, more local people like wearing modern clothes rather than traditional one as well as they follow more modern dances than the traditional one.
Secondly, tourism can cause the bad effect to the environment. Take littering cases as an example. It is irrefutable fact that so many tourists ignore the policy about rubbish. Bali as a tourism destination, besides getting awards because of the successful tourism, this city is well-known for the rubbish as well. The government face the difficulty in handling this littering problem because the increasing number of tourists each year. Then, the local people get the effect to their environment, such as land pollution, flood, and air pollution because of the waste.
On the other hand, tourism can increase the national government income from tourists’ visa and local people get the work-field as well as the chance to learn other cultures. For instance, local people can build home stay area for tourist and gain income from that business. It can reduce the number of unemployment people and grow knowledge of local people about tourists’ language.
Based on the previous explanation, we can conclude that tourism will be the threat for local cultures and environment, even though it is good for gaining income for government and local people as well as create a chance for local people to have job and knowledge.
[ Written by – Shinta Sari ]