Tourism may convey different meanings depending on the people, the place and the context. Some may take over the subject from a perspective of a tourist, wherease some may propose the point of view of a tourism worker. Nevertheless, tourism, undoubtedly is a major topic for many, and affects countless people, even whole nations, in various aspects.
International tourism is the primary contributor to the national economical for several countries, and is among the top sources of income for many more. Seasonal or for the all year round, tourism provides vacancy to millions of people worldwide. International tourism especially is significant for underdeveloped or developing countries in terms of economy, since it enables the flow of valuable foreign currency. International tourism should not be only mentioned for its financial aspects, but the cultural influence of the tourism should also be considered. One can suggest that the foreign focus and interest on historical or natural wanders of a country drives governmental entities to take more effective and immediate measures to preserve and protect the sites of interest.
Of course there are two sides of a medallion, despite the upbringing to economy and the potential contribution to conservation of landmarks, tourism also has its downsides for local communities and area. First of all, in this age of digitalization, information spreads in a remarkable speed. A meticilously protected natural site could be popular weekend getaway spot for hundreds to thounsands of people within a blink of an eye, thanks to an Instagram reel. There are many examples of this uncontrollable trends ending up in a ecologically horrendous scenario for a natural wonder. On exaple can be given as the Lake Salda in Türkiye. It was an unknown natural wonder, but then became the center of attention after a video was released promoting the natural beauty of this unique area. The precious beach around the lake then started to be used as a picnic area, where people drove their cars around. This is a dreadful event, since the sand of the beach is so uniqe that local scientists warn even against stepping on it with shoes! This is a solid, real example of the disadvantages that tourism may cause.
Apart from the ecological concerns, international tourism has another significant problem: uncontrolled tourist populations. There are many destinations where the local inhabitants report their frustration and struggles with their day to day life in hot tourist season,in places such as Paris, Rome, Venice, etc. The issue stems from the fact that altough the visitors are there to learn and appreciate the beauty or the culture of a place, most of the time they tend to be careless about local customs and unwritten rules. This is a distinct aspect that seperates national tourists from international ones. These issues are so overwhelming to locals that governments take actions againt it. For example, Spain and Italy proposed to limit the number of international flights, thus the international tourists during hot seasons.
Overall, it is indisputable that inernational tourism comes with a handful of downsides for local people and areas. However, considering the quantity of people that earn their livings off of tourism and related sectors, it is not quite easy to say that the disadvantages of inernational tourism outweight its advantages for local communities. But it can be confidently suggested that strict preventative measures need to be taken for ecological niches that are also touristic spots, and governmental bodies should care for the quality of life of their citizens or inhabitants, not only during the low season but instead the all year round.