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IELTS Writing task 2 | International tourism

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Tourism has become a major industry for many countries around the world.

Do the advantages of international tourism outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Band 9: Model 1

Model structure: Directly say advantages/disadvantages are more serious

The advent of mass tourism has been enabled by the growth of the aviation industry, which has made it easier and cheaper to fly to holiday destinations around the world. The growth of tourism has created hundreds of millions of jobs and is a multi-billion dollar industry which supports businesses and even whole national economies. However, there are also significant environmental impacts that must be prioritised.

Tourism has a major economic impact, especially on countries which have become major destinations for holidaymakers. Firstly, this supports large sectors in the economies of many developing nations. In parts of the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, the service sector benefits the most. Large resorts have been developed to accommodate travellers, local restaurants experience a booming trade in peak seasons, and the manufacture of local arts and crafts provides livelihoods to millions. In addition, the tax revenue from tourists can be reinvested into education and public services, further improving living standards in these places. These arguments show that there are many advantages of global tourism.

Despite these benefits, tourism has irreparable environmental consequences, and these are more important than short-term economic gains. The development of tourist resorts destroys a great deal of pristine wilderness as areas are cleared to make way for hotels. This threatens vulnerable ecosystems and could drive a loss of biodiversity. Even more importantly, the increasing numbers of international flights emit millions of tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide per year, increasing the rate of climate change and consequent storms and sea level rises. Ironically, the very countries which benefit most from tourism are also most at risk, as coastal areas popular with tourists flood more frequently and many people are killed in devastating tropical storms.

In conclusion, tourism supports jobs and businesses in developing countries and has thrown a lifeline to millions who would otherwise live in poverty. However, this is outweighed by its serious environmental consequences, including ecological damage and carbon emissions from aviation. These impacts are also worse in countries which benefit most from tourism, and thus international tourism is a negative trend overall.

(345 words)

Band 9: Model 2

Model structure: Offset the disadvantages

Tourism brings countless benefits to many countries around the world. As more people travel abroad to explore foreign cultures or take advantage of beautiful natural environments, they help to create jobs, support businesses, and redistribute wealth from developed to developing countries. While it is true that tourism can have a negative impact on local environments and cultures, these benefits are too great to ignore, making tourism a positive development overall.

Millions of people travel abroad from wealthy, developed nations to other countries every year. These tourists provide an important income stream to businesses in tourist destinations. They support hotels which provide accommodation, restaurants which cater to their appetites and cultural facilities such as museums, which satisfy their curiosity about local culture and history. This in turn creates countless jobs for local residents, improving their standard of living. As more money is spent in tourist destinations, host countries become more developed, improving their infrastructure and education. These benefits enjoyed by local citizens mean that tourism has many positive economic impacts on countries around the world.

Despite these advantages, tourism can be detrimental to the environment and culture in host countries. Environmentally, some areas may become overdeveloped, which harms local wildlife and ecosystems. While this unavoidable effect of tourism is unfortunate, the areas affected are actually quite small. To offset this problem, governments can use the money generated from holidaymakers to create nature reserves, which better protects their country’s natural environment. Culturally, local lifestyles and customs may be diluted by the arrival of large multinational hotel and restaurant chains. This means that it is important to impose planning regulations to govern the way that resorts develop and ensure local ways of life are preserved. These examples show that managing the problems associated with tourism can mitigate its negative effects.

In conclusion, tourism provides invaluable economic benefits to countries around the world and improves development and living standards, which is especially important in developing nations. There are some drawbacks, such as environmental and cultural effects, but they are relatively minor and can be sensibly managed. As a result, international tourism has been and will continue to be a very positive development.

(358 words)

Band 9: Model 3

Model structure: Offset the advantages

International tourism has experienced tremendous growth over the last few decades and changed the way that people go on holiday. It has a large economic effect on destination countries and is often viewed as bringing jobs and prosperity to millions of people. However, alongside the economic benefits, there are also significant drawbacks, including rising costs of living and severe impacts on the quality of life for local residents.

Economically, tourism does provide many benefits to major tourist destinations. Many industries grow around tourism, by either directly providing services to travellers or indirectly supporting the tourism sector. Hotels and restaurants provide services to holidaymakers, and travel and tour operators support companies providing leisure activities and cultural experience. This creates jobs and provides wealth to people involved in the tourism sector. However, alongside this prosperity, tourists increase the costs of food and services by adding to existing demand. This can price the majority of local residents out of many of the services in the areas where they live. Consequently, the standard of living for many people does not actually improve, with only the wealthiest citizens benefitting from increased tourism.

In addition to rising living costs, major tourist resorts have a negative effect on the quality of life for local people. The influx of tourists coming from abroad can make resort towns overcrowded and noisy, which is bad for local residents. This also results in an increase in waste which can put strain on local waste management services, leading to the build up of litter, landfill and other forms of environmental pollution. These costs are borne by the permanent residents of an area, whose towns and countryside are often ruined by the growth of the tourist industry.

In conclusion, there are some advantages to international tourism. It can create jobs for locals, bringing increased wealth in a range of industries. However, price inflation means that these benefits are usually only enjoyed by a minority of people and are accompanied by serious reductions in the quality of life for most local residents. As a result, I believe that the drawbacks of global tourism outweigh the advantages due to the fact that it harms more people than it benefits.

(364 words)

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