Band 6+: As a result of tourism, many historical buildings and sites are being damaged beyond repair. What are the reasons and what could be done to prevent this?

It has become apparent in recent years that historical constructions suffering negative impacts from tourism despite repairs is an ever-increasing issue. This essay will consider the problems of ancient building deterioration and outline possible solutions.

First and foremost, there are several drawbacks of historic sites vandalism. One of the most alarming demerits is that cultural identities and glorious trophies of the past may gradually fade away. This is because if the disappearance of these precious places occurred, there would be nobody who remembers about their origins or how our society has transformed to become modern like nowadays. As a result, residents can lose confidence and pride in the history of their country. Moreover, another problem which is no less vital is that there will be a waste of valuable sources if tourism proceeds to trigger the ruination of venerable buildings. Particularly, every one of these heritages has its own values and undoubtedly contribute to the diversity of human life in terms of art, languages, science,… Therefore, the more historic constructions witness the demolition, the fewer opportunities for people to absorb past knowledge.

Fortunately, some measures can be taken to mitigate these downsides. Initially, the most plausible solution is education. Since most spoiling actions relate to people’s unawareness, citizens can comprehend how meaningful ancient constructions are through lessons about the importance of them. Provided that wards organize meetings to condemn these destructive actions and encourage people to spend time participating in volunteer campaigns of historical and cultural works conservation, these architectural heritages will last longer. Another solution is imposing penalties on those who vandalize historic sites. As when people have been once fined a large amount of money for their vandalism, they tend not to violate the safekeeping rules at these places. In addition to monetary fines, only when visitors do not comply with regulations to preserve those relics, may they be forced to repair the damages that they had done.

In conclusion, notwithstanding some issues such as loss of cultural identities and knowledge due to tourism, education and penalties are two effective ways to alleviate these consequences.