Some people think that cultural traditions are destroyed when they are used as money-making attractions aimed at tourists. Others believe that this is the only way to save such traditions in the world today. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Traditional cultural symbols are increasingly being used to boost local tourism. It is often argued that cultural traditions are destroyed when they are used as money-making tourist attractions, whilst others disagree and think that it is the only method to save such traditions in the world today. This essay will discuss both points of view and the reason why I agree that tourism is the way to save the cultural traditions we have today. On the one hand, there are certain adverse impacts which must be considered when increasing numbers of places to visit are used as money-making attractions aimed at tourists. One significant issue is that people do modify a number of styles due to international people not preferring those things. In other words, people make changes that make their customers feel comfortable. For instance, the Punjabi music style has been converted into English music style due to overseas visitors in India. Although change is necessary to develop the economy, it can be argued that those changes are not essential at the expense of modifying those customs. However, there are several reasons why monetizing from cultural traditions is the only way to protect them. Indeed, when a feature of tradition is identified as appealing, introducing it to a good way to emphasize its value and arouse the awareness of cultural protection in the local people. For instance, when Hue court music, the Vietnamese royal music, is performed for tourists on boats on the Huong river, people will start to fear that one day the music may disappear and thus take actions to conserve it. Moreover, setting culture traditions as money attractions can save those traditions which lack money and labor for surviving. In many developed countries, for instance, India or Thailand, they do not have enough finance for maintaining historical heritage or reconstructing traditional buildings. Those Buddhist sculptures will be eroded by nature when the local government does not have enough money on repairing. Hence, attracting travelers may be the method of saving traditions. In conclusion, both two sides of this issue should be taken into consideration. In my opinion, tourism through cultural attractions is an important means for countries to care for and maintain their heritage and cultural practices. While there may be disadvantages to monetizing these cultural traditions, as long as we are mindful and keep in mind the importance of achieving sustainable heritage tourism, the benefits of cultural attractions are clearly positive.