International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?

Several countries are seeing the positive effects of having overseas tourists. However, this trend may also present some disadvantages for their population and for the nature. In my view, nonetheless, the advantages overcome the negative aspects. Firstly, in the last fifty years people are travelling so much more extensively. In fact leisure travelling has increased exponentially and this phenomenon has certainly had a significant impact not only on the travelers, who are able to learn so much from their trips, but also on the local communities and on the environment, even though not always in a positive way. In my opinion, the advantages are, however, superior because tourism has often become one of the main income sources for a country, for instance for Italy. Thanks to the many visitors the economy can flourish and several individuals and businesses can benefit from it, for instance tour operators, guides, hotels, shops and restaurant owners. Secondly, when a great deal of tourists visits a country, a large part of the money spent there benefit the nation’s government, which can become richer and can offer better services and infrastructures to its citizens and visitors. For example, in France a large amount of government money, earned through tourist city taxes and museum entrances, are re-invested by the local authorities on the environment protection and preservation of the country’s cultural heritage. In conclusion, I believe that international tourism brings several advantages both to the local population and to the environment.