Task 2 SAMPLE: Today tourism is one of the world’s biggest industries, and many poorer countries

Task 2

Source Kaplan Ielts

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion

Today tourism is one of the world’s biggest industries, and many poorer countries are depending more and more on tourism for their economy.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a large number of tourists visiting a country?

Many of the world’s poorer countries depend on tourism to generate more money and improve their economy. When tourists visit such countries, the money they spend on food, drink, accommodation and souvenirs allows individual locals and the country to profit.

Alongside this, tourism often provides many new jobs for locals, such as tour guides or hired drivers, and as such, tourism helps to raise the number of employed individuals. New jobs may also be created by the tourism industry indirectly, for example, in the construction of new hotels and restaurants. Tourism may also improve the living conditions in poorer countries, as improved transport and water and sanitation facilities are implemented to attract tourists. Local people can also use these benefits.

On the other hand, in order to make more money, leaders of more impoverished countries may invest so much into the tourism industries that they neglect to look after their local population. School funding and medical care may be sidelined to ensure that tourists have an abundance of 5-star hotels to choose from. New jobs in these hotels might even be given to trained foreign workers, decreasing the number of jobs created by tourism. Similarly, although many tourists visit different countries to experience exotic and unfamiliar new customs respectfully, locals may find some tourists offensive and even exploitative.

Tourism creates many new opportunities for poorer countries. It offers an essential source of income, but the money generated by tourism will only benefit these countries if some of it is invested into improving the living conditions and prospects of the people who live in these countries, rather than just strengthening the tourism industry.

Source Kaplan Ielts