16805 谢振礼 IELTS Essay: Does tourism save or destroy culture?
IELTS Writing Task 2
谢振礼 ielts360toefl@163.com
>Essay Topic:
Writing topic--
Some people believe that culture will be ruined if it is used to earn tourism revenue, but others consider that tourism is the only way of protecting a culture. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Similar topic--
Some people think that cultural traditions are destroyed when they are used as money-making machines to aim at tourist attractions. Others think that it is the only way to save them. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience to support your opinion.
>Example Essay by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
Tourism can both save and destroy a culture. While promoting tourism as a profitable business, over-exposure to mass tourism can damage the traditions and heritages of a cultural location. There is a need to strengthen the linkages of culture and tourism and make the two become partners in a sustainable relationship.
Obviously, cultural tourism is 'good' tourism for economic reasons. In its many forms and expressions, culture can attract high spending visitors and bring huge economic benefits to a destination wothy of sight-seeing. Probably for both educational and entertaining purposes, cultural tourists come to experience such cultural activities as visits to museums, historic sites, art galleries, theaters, ethnic communities, festivals and fairs, architecutal and archaelogical treasures. It goes without saying that the greater the number of visitors, the more profits a place of cultural interests can enjoy. Needless to say, tourism adds value to a cultural location by serving as a driving force in boosting that place's economy. So much so, the impact of culture on tourism is positive.
However, too much tourism may harm the quality of the traditions and heritages of a cultural destination. Due probably to the unplanned and mismanaged growth of cultural tourism, an ever-booming place might gradually become a victim of its own success. By and by, the unique culture of that place may begin losing its attractiveness, eventually leading to the decline and fall of its cultural identity. Such is the negative impact of mass tourism when, after being commercially exploited, the local culture has been downgraded and is no longer alluring to visitors. For that matter, poliicy interventions should be introduced to minimize the possible damage to the traditional cultural environment by making effective use of part of the economic fruits produced by cultural tourism. Otherwise, mass tourism may be the fast way to destroy a culture, in spite of its being the best way to generate money.
As s conclusion, it is necessary to see culture and tourism in a mutually beneficial relationship, with the one having the other in mind. Culture has an impact on tourism, and vice versa. There is a general perception that mass tourism may be both a money-making machine targeting at tourists and a big threat to the preservation of a local culture.
(Essay by 谢振礼 Jeenn Lee Hsieh ielts360toefl@163.com )
