Tourism: The benefits and drawbacks of tourism

Food for thought

After you have read the texts make a list of the most important reasons why people travel.

Why do you travel? What kind of travelling do you prefer? Why?

What are the benefits and drawbacks of tourism? The following aspects might help you to structure your ideas: economy / culture / environment / politics / personal life

Watch the following video that features ten historical sites that suffer from mass tourism.

Group discussion

Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. It is important, and in some cases, vital for many countries. The tourism industry is said to be the world’s largest growth sector. But many top destinations such as Venice, Stonehenge, Machu Picchu or the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand begin to suffer from mass tourism.

SITUATION:

You are a group of four young people who like to travel; however you are aware of the massive impact of mass tourism on the environment, cultural heritage and societies across the globe. Take 20 minutes and exchange your ideas.

PRESENTATION STAGE:

All participants outline what they think about the growing tourism business.

DISCUSSION STAGE:

The group discusses the reasons for the growing tourist industry.

The participants discuss positive and negative aspects of tourism.

They discuss what could be done to minimize the negative effects of tourism and to make travelling more sustainable and socially responsible. In the end they come up with a list of tips for the responsible traveller.