觀光旅遊業的利弊得失

In general, tourism has been promoted as the least polluted industry with minimum costs. Many believe that it is the most effective way of seeing and learning other cultures. What we read from novels or history textbooks could be demonstrated in front of us based on the old saying, “Seeing is believing.” Furthermore, with development of technology, people could go overseas much more freely than before. It is very convenient to book airflight tickets and reserve accommodations via various channels, such as travel agencies, aircraft companies, or online booking websites. Some people suggest that tourism has become a compulsory leisure for personal pleasure or even to flaunt their social status. In most countries of the world, governments take tourism into very careful consideration for domestic economic development and promoting of national brands. Yet, some negative effects of the tourism industry have been argued about in recent years. In this essay, I will view this topic in more detail.

To begin with, technology facilitates not only communication, but also travelling from country to country. Globalization escalates this movement, such as lowering prices of tickets and accommodation by big corporations. It also standardizes products, services, and ways of seeing and travelling. On one hand, people can avoid maladjustment in overseas travel and look for brands which they are familiar with, including Mc Donald’s, Starbucks, and KFC. On the other hand, it loses the spirit of tourism to explore local culture. Moreover, there is a tendency that to satisfy tourist demands seems more important than to respect the authenticity of local atmosphere. Due to tourism development, the residents even lose their access to local natural resources, such as private island, resorts, etc. Not to mention that the destruction of natural environment happens everywhere, a huge number of tourists bring pollution and noise. Some of the tourists would invade local residents’ lives in the name of fieldwork observation. Last but not least, the living standards differ in each country. The local living expenses would be risen based on the spending power of tourists, rather than the original standard. For example, in many big cities around the world, the rental fee has been adjusted according to the price of hotel accommodations. As a result of that, local residents have to move further out to the countryside or even another city because they cannot afford the living expenses.

In my opinion, the predominant question for all human beings is economy or sustainability. For the past decades, the pursuit of economic development seems the major task for every individual, every corporation, and even every national government around the world. Everyone chases the growth of digital numbers by doing whatever it takes to meet their financial target. Consequently, we all neglect to pay attention to the environmental protection, in respect of socio-cultural values and the actual cost of tourism impacts. There are some tactical solutions to decrease the negative impact of tourism, such as limited number of tourists, improvement of local employees’ working conditions and the prevention and protection of natural resources. Yet, the key issue is that all human beings must raise the awareness of being respectful. Tourists could not take everything for granted even though they have spent a lot of money. Also, tourists could not be regarded as consumers. We all have one earth and need to cherish valuable cultural assets, including historical structures, special habitat and areas identified as a place of significance. Once these assets or wildlife disappears, we cannot use money to get it back.