Band 7+: A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income. Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not managed correctly. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world. Dp you think that the benifits of tourism outweigh it drawbacks?

In the era of modernity, tourism has become a contributing factor to many regions’ income. In my view, despite the benefits relating to the distribution to the economy, the disadvantages such as environmental concerns and financial burden among investors are more significant.

One major disadvantage of tourism is a huge amount of money invested in building tourist facilities. As investors want to attract more sight-seers, they spend a substantial amount of money on planning and developing their constructions, which can result in a financial burden among inexperienced investors. Taking TVC amusement park in Asia as an example, after a few years since it opened, this park became abandoned due to a lack of interest from tourists, which also means that the investor wasted a huge amount of money at around 1 million dollars.

Another significant drawback is environmental problems associated when it comes to too many people visiting one area on a particular day. An increasing number of sight-seers also associates with a heightened volume of trash, which can terribly damage the natural environment. Consequently, the world becomes seriously contaminated. For instance, the Hang river in India, which is well-known for its religious value, is considered as the most polluted river around the globe with extremely dirty water and a substantial amount of litter.

It is fundamental to observe that tourism plays a vital role in many countries’ economies. Since these areas attract an enormous number of tourists, other industries, especially the service industry would be also promoted, contributing to overall national economies. By contrast, relying too much on tourism brings various potential risks. For instance, many studies found that around 70% of coastal areas in Vietnam depend heavily on tourism as a source of income. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when almost everywhere was locked down and tourism was limited, these regions got into troubles with maintaining a stable economy.

In conclusion, in spite of the fact that tourism significantly contributes to many nations’ overall economies, I strongly advocate that the drawbacks relating to finance and the natural environment are more serious.