TOPIC 1: Tourism is a good thing for developing countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

To thrive economically in developing countries, tourism is believed to contribute significantly to this purpose. Although tourism promotes the development of the economy and strengthen the cultural differences, it also causes environmental damages and instability of society. Tourism is the best choice which also helps to strengthen the national culture if nation pursues a high profit economic service. This non-emission industry takes advantage of the natural environment and unique culture to attract the tourists, so that the authorities just need invest a relative budget in order to build the huge and professional tourism-related services and amenities. Therefore, the disparity of the investment and profit will be a far distance. Additionally, the foreign investment which triggers the leap of economy may come along with the tourists into the country. Thailand, which has practiced the tourism as a key sector for thriving the nation for decades, is now one of the rapidly developing nations in ASEAN. On the other hand, the tourists are attracted by the unique and different culture, the government, has hence invested appropriately in order to protect and accentuate its own culture. Therefore, not only economy, culture also receives the favor effect of tourism. Nevertheless, the tourism without a deliberate strategy may bring destruction of nature and illegal substance into the nation. The tourists gravitate to the paramount landscapes and nature of each country, so the government will exploit the natural environment to satisfy these desires of the tourists. Also, in order to attract as many tourists as possible, the authorities neglect to the damage that the tourists bring towards the natural artifacts. In Vietnam, for example, the Phong Nha Ke Bang cave is significantly damaged by the craving on the stones from the tourists, but the Vietnamese authorities have not done any intervention to reduce the destruction. Besides, the foreign tourists may bring the illegal materials into the boundaries: drugs, weapons and guns (which is illegal in Vietnam). As a trade-off, if government does focus on travel business to promote the development, the nature and social security may be threatened. To some extent, the tourism facilitates the economic development and the cultural stability, but it also triggers the problems for natural landscapes and the social security. However, in comparison with the costs and risks of other economic sectors, for example, environmental pollution is generated by manufacturing industry, the tourism still is a better choice for the developing nations finding the leap of the economy.