IELTS Writing Task 2 with sample answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people say that tourism should be encouraged because of its benefits, while others say that increased tourism activities actually harm the environment and local culture of an area.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer:
The fast growing hospitality and tourism industry is one of the largest revenue earners. Many economists opine that tourism ought to be encouraged as it has myriad advantages, but others, on the other hand, argue that excessive tourism activities are lethal to environment. While each side has its merits, I think the benefits of tourism outweigh the disadvantages.
For a start, tourism offers enormous benefits to a country. The key benefits are mainly economic, socio-cultural and environmental. First of all, the tourism industry includes many different sectors, so it also generates job opportunities in many different sectors. With the industry comes hotels, restaurants, tour agencies, car rental agencies, souvenir shops, and much more. All of this spawns plenty of employment for people in the local community. Secondly, tourism can fuel a real sense of pride and identity. By showcasing the unique features of the way of life, history and heritage, tourism can spur people on to preserve tradition which may be at stake. Last but not the least, tourism usually fosters preservation and conservation of cultural, natural, and historical resources. It also encourages community beautification and to keep environment clean.
On the flip side, tourism can badly damage environment. It may menace specific natural resources, for example coral reefs, beaches, historical sights, and so on. In addition to this, tourism can increase noise, pollution, and litter. To cap it all, it directly contributes to solid waste pollution and sewage. Apart from that, the negative effects of tourism development can gradually devastate the environmental resources on which it depends. That is to say, it depletes limited resources, for example fresh water, land, wild life habitats, and so forth.
In fine, tourism causes multifaceted benefits to the local community, but the advantage comes at a price. Since, tourism involves the activities that can have adverse environmental impacts.