Should countries encourage tourism? Tourism has become one of the most important branches of modern market. With the development of world-wide transport, the human need to explore the surrounding world has been finally fulfilled. Nowadays almost everyone can travel abroad and admire all sort of breathtaking sites, experience diversity of culture and ways of life. But as every industry, tourism has some drawbacks. Most important is the environmental issue.
New holiday resorts seem to spring out from the underground, irreversibly transforming natural surroundings into spas, golf courses and safaris. The most disturbing effect of that action is the destruction of local wildlife habitat, which is almost impossible to recover from. Another problem that is hard to overlook are infections. There are very few countries that warn about the possibility of being infected with a tropical disease or a local microbe. There were lots of cases where people came back home with more than just a sun-tan.
Most terrifying is that European doctors have little experience in it. Often by the time they make an accurate diagnose, the patient is dying form malaria or has larva coming out from under the nails. Looking at the other side of the medal it is clear that countries encouraging tourism promote local culture, making it popular and more accessible. For example – carnival in Rio attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. Everyone wants to be a part of that astonishing event.
There are many countries that offer a variety of attractions and are keen to share their legacy. Second point to consider is development of popular areas. Lots of tourists mean lots of money, so it is not surprising that governments invest huge funds to improve local facilities. It is good news for the visitors and even better for the people who live there. The locals can benefit from it in many ways. Great and familiar example is the Polish seaside, which is known for hundreds of bars and chip shop that are mostly small, family enterprises.
Very encouraging is the fact that the income they make during the summer enables them to live quite well for the rest of the year. To conclude, countries should encourage tourism, because it supports local and national economy. Moreover, people can experience wonders of the foreign countries and that helps them to understand the world better. Drawbacks like environmental damage and biological threats are possible to overcome if the governments start to be more careful and responsible.
