International air fares are falling and tourism is growing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of increasing tourism activity? v.1

International air fares are falling. More and more employers are offering holiday entitlements. Needless to say, the number of people who travel to exotic holiday destinations across the world is on the rise. While this trend has both upsides and downsides, in my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The tourism industry has witnessed tremendous growth over the last few years. And it looks like it will continue this upward trend. The growth in the tourism sector has many advantages. In many parts of the world tourism has created more jobs than any other industry. Tourism helps countries to earn valuable foreign exchange. Tourism has also helped in the preservation of many heritage structures and art forms which would, otherwise, have died without leaving a trace. For example, many ethnic Indian dance forms would have died if they hadn’t received the patronage of foreign tourists. Tourism also promotes cultural understanding. As people travel to other countries, they get an opportunity to learn about other cultures and beliefs. Intercultural understanding is always good for global harmony. On the flip side, tourism has some disadvantages too. In many countries, particularly those in the under developed world, tourism has led to the establishment of some morally questionable practices. For example, many tourist hotspots in Asia and Latin America are now synonymous with prostitution and illegal gambling. Tourist hotspots are also plagued by problems like theft, maimed begging and drug abuse. However, these disadvantages are nothing compared to the advantages and it doesn’t take a lot of efforts to see that tourism has more benefits than drawbacks. To conclude, the growth in the tourism sector does have some downsides; however, the negatives pale in comparison to the positives because tourism creates jobs and promotes understanding between people.