In modern society, tourism has become a central determinant of revenue generation for many nations. However, it comes with significant challenges. This essay will discuss one benefit and one drawback of tourism.
First and foremost, a major advantage of attracting tourists is that they come loaded with foreign currency, which becomes the pivot for sustaining the economy and generating employment. Secondly, tourism leads to good international relations and geopolitical connections for the country. To give an example for the first point, in Zimbabwe, a recent report highlighted that 80 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product came from its high-performing touristification policy, with youths in resort areas the greatest winners in terms of access to gainful employment. Therefore, it is evident that such a policy is economically beneficial.
On the other hand, while tourism is advantageous for many reasons, it presents major drawbacks in terms of eroding local cultures and driving nations into a dependency syndrome. For the second point, this happens as such countries now overly rely on foreign income, instead of adding value to the local economy and industries. For example, in Zimbabwe, the same study also indicated that communities in tourist resorts were no longer practising agriculture, the mainstay of the economy. In other words, agriculture was now suffering at the hands of a policy centred on tourism.
In conclusion, therefore, while a lot of places in the world now rely on tourism as a main source of income, the practice comes with several problems. This essay has outlined both sides, giving examples.