With the development of the tourism section, planned tours to remote sites and communities are becoming cheaper and hence more commonplace. While this trend can be argued to exert negative bearings on the native people and the surroundings, I opine that these can be countered and that the benefits are far more significant.
On the one hand, a line of thought concurs that visitors from organized tours threaten the local identity and pollute the pristine environment of the aboriginal citizens. Although I acknowledge these risks, I believe that there are countermeasures that both the local inhabitants and tourists can take. For example, while the native citizens need to be educated on how to preserve the values of their cultures and natural environment, travel agents also have to advise the visitors about what they should and should not do to preserve the authenticity of the communities. If need be, the government can even step in to implement necessary laws that punish activities that do harm to the local people and reward those that serve to protect them.
On the other hand, organized tours not only aid in the livelihood of the Aboriginal people but also help promote the community’s image. Indeed, new job opportunities, such as selling local specialties or providing entertainment services, often accompany tourism, which is especially helpful given that remote locations often have limited career options due to geographic difficulties. By providing much-needed employment prospects, travel tours indirectly reduce unemployment-induced crimes and better the lives of numerous people. Moreover, these tours significantly help the communities to receive recognition for their beauty. Since distant places often receive little media coverage, the individuals travelling to these sites are a crucial means by which remote communities share their uniqueness with the world. It can be either through words of mouth or the posts travelers share on their personal social media pages.
In conclusion, while there exist concerns about the deleterious effects of travel tours on the local communities and the environment, these can be ameliorated with collective efforts. In contrast, the role these tours play in enhancing the livelihood and the image of the distant places is undeniable. Therefore, it is my belief that organized tours are overall beneficial.