Some people believe that the expansion of tourism is ruining the culture of a country, but others consider that tourism is the only way of protecting a culture. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

The last few decades have witnessed the increasing development of tourism in many countries. While some people think that the prevalence of tourism has led to undesirable impacts on the indigenous culture of a country, I would claim that it is also an effective way to conserve a culture. On the one hand, there are several reasons why some people think that the expansion of tourism has affected negatively the native culture of a nation. Firstly, an increasing number of tourists to a place could pose a threat of vandalism to the local culture there. A clear example could be seen in The Literature Temple of Hanoi. Many irresponsible visitors have carved their names and drawn pictures on the wall of this a thousand-year-old heritage. Another downside is that tourism could potentially lead to cultural assimilation. Local people could adopt new cultures and traditions introduced by the influx of foreign tourists to their country. On the other hand, I would argue that tourism plays an important role in cultural preservation. The major reason is that with the expansion of tourism, the government is likely to invest more financial resources in preserving the indigenous culture. To illustrate, local authorities in Ninh Binh has allocated a significant amount of budget for the reconstruction and maintenance of many historic buildings of ethnic minorities to attract more domestic and foreign visitors. Additionally, the culture and traditions of a country would be popularized with tourism development. By this way, the local culture could avoid the risk of disappearance. In conclusion, while the expansion of tourism has negatively affected indigenous culture in several aspects, I contend that tourism could still contribute to cultural protection of a country.