Individuals have contrast views about the effect of the tourism industry on culture. While focusing on making profit out of this industry can damage a culture easily, I believe that tourists can keep a culture alive.
On the one hand, tourists can bring about some serious damage to a culture. When the tourism industry is one of the most important income resources of a country, we can expect some unpleasant and unwanted changes to happen to the culture of its society. To shed light on this topic, I intend to give some examples from an Islamic country. Culture in such countries is rooted in their religious instructions. As you know, drinking is forbidden in Islam and any trade in this regard is also illegal. If money becomes the first priority of this country, definitely we should change our belief to provide a better situation for our tourists. As another example, consider the hijab law in Islamic country, in which all women must wear some special parts of their body. Obeying this rule would be impossible for people from other countries, Hence, if we want to cultivate our tourism industry, we have no choice but to change this rule.
On the other hand, one of the most effective approaches to preserving a culture from disappearing is to boost the tourism industry. I believe that the main reason behind visiting another country is to get familiar with their traditions, customs, and culture. Therefore, individuals should consider tourism as a golden opportunity to introduce their culture to other countries. Furthermore, if they find a culture interesting, they will also represent that culture to others. This is the reason that governments compete with each other in being chosen as the host of sports world competitions. In this way, they can both make profit and show their culture to all the world. For instance, Qatar, the last host of the football World Cup, asked Lionel Messi (the greatest football player ever) to wear their special clothes in the championship ceremony. By this, they could make people know more about their customs and traditions.
In conclusion, I can understand why some individuals might believe that tourism can destroy their culture, but it seems to me that tourists can prevent a culture from being forgotten.