Эссе: International / domestic tourism

The popularity and the quality of tourism certainly had a sharp rise in recent years. Some people say, though, that tourism is only hurting the countries' development and insults native citizens. However, is tourism really that bad for the countries? Does it ruin everything on its path or does it help the economy? These questions may seem easy, but the answers to them are not that simple. On one hand, when a country or a certain place gets popular with tourists, government begins to invest more money in its infrastructure and conveniences, and it helps the country to improve and develop futher. What is more, tourism raises additional funds for countries' economies and creates new vacancies for natives. It is a win-win situation where both the government and the citizens make profit out of tourism. On the other hand, there is the other side of the coin as tourism may have a negative influence. The government might decide to make tourism the main source of income for the country and not develop it in other important spheres like science, technology or trading. Besides, it goes without saying that most of the tourists are usually ignorant towards native citizens, traditions and social norms of the place they are visiting. It is an another aspect of natives' hatred towards not only said tourists, but tourism as a whole. However, I still disagree with this opinion. In my point of view, tourism has more pros than cons, as it is not only an additional source of income for the country, but a way to make people around the globe familiar with the culture of the country as well. Tours and guides may help to form a positive image of the country in foreigners' minds which is definitely helping the international relationships and diplomacy. To sum it up, I cannot say for sure whether tourism is definitely good or bad. Although it has some cons, for me personally, pros of tourism overwheigh the cons. Still, the government should decide whether to develop their country in the direction of tourism.