In recent years, international tourism has contributed considerably in the growth of the visitors to many historical sites around the world. Although the phenomenon could introduce some negative problems, that is outweighted by the benefits.
On the one hand, the number of international tourists increase rapidly may lead to some disadvantages. First and foremost, the historical sites could be ruined by the visitors. Children and the people with poor sense of responsibility, for instance, will draw or sign on the wall, litter rubbish or even steal worth things from the sites. Consequently, the environment at that place could be polluted and the longstanding sites may have to face with deterioration and lose their pristine patterns. Moreover, this phenomenon also generate a financial burden on some under-developed countries like Laos or Congo, which have majestic and picturesque historical sites. In fact, overcrowded visitors requires strict security as well as clean-up labours to keep these sites in primitive state. As a result, poor countries could not prioritize other essential sectors like education or economy.
On the other hand, if the governments could take the advantages of the phenomenon, they may obtain many benefits. By helping people establish their own business like local restaurant or souvenir stores by providing them with low-interest loan around the historical sites, the governments could not only attract tourists around the world but also reinforce economy and reduce unemployment rates of the local residents. For example, when the international tourists visit Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam in the centre of Ha Noi, the indigenous citizens could sell souvenirs like a picture of that place or local food like Pho or Banh Mi. Furthermore, increasing tourists globally also enables these countries preserve their cultural heritages since they could have a chance to make their culture more common to the tourist via educational programmes with the professors during their trips.
In conclusion, while the phenomenon of surging number of visitors travel to the longstanding sites may have some negative impacts on that sites and the under-developed countries’ economy, it will offers many benefits to the economy and cultural heritage if it is taken seriously.