Given the incredible growth of tourism within recent decades, an inclination of visiting tourist attractions including museums and historical sites has been recorded. However, the majority of the arrivals to theses destinations is the non-native tourists but not local residents. In my opinion, this phenomenon can be attributed to the unattractiveness and the influences of modern education but it can be addressed successfully with efforts from different parties.
One primary reason for the unpopularity of the museums and historical sites to the local people lies in a lack of interest as the majority of local residents, who have already paid a visit to the most famous landmarks in their hometown, cannot find those destinations attractive anymore due to little changes or improvements. This can be seen in the case of Eiffle Tower, which has remained the same for over century and welcomed millions of foreign guests annually but just a small number of the native. In order to tackle this problem, new features as well as stimulating experiences need to be introduced in these destinations. For example, instead of traditionally display the artefacts or paintings, the museums’ organisors must add interactive activities to offer the visitors with a novel experience like allowing them to recreate the artworks, or to engage in some quizzes. More importantly, these programmes should be renewed frequently to reach the optimal effect.
Moreover, the current curriculum placing more emphasis on history and culture learning also has influences on the decline of local visits to the monuments. History has been regarded as a compulsory subject in most educational systems, enabling the pupils to gain in-depth knowledge about their nations’ growth and cultural fabrics, making visit to local sites seem to be redundant. In addition, with the assistance of the advanced technology in recent years, students still have the opportunities to witness the displayed historic evidences and documents in the tourist attractions without spending time and money on physical trip. This situation can be improved by modifications in the teaching method. Educators ought to hold extracurricular activities like an excursion to bring the students to the local museums and historical sites so as to help them realize the values through real-life experiences and encourage them to visit those places on their own later.
In conclusion, the lack of interest of local people in their hometowns’ landmark can be explained by a myriad of reasons, including the inability to provide exciting activities of the sites and indirect impacts from changes in education. However, with collective efforts from each individuals, especially the destinations’ management department and the educators, the endeavour will soon be overcome.