Tourism

We will not deny that tourism has an influence, which is not always appreciated by everybody. Some people prefer to be left alone. They are not interested in the money which tourists spend in shops and hotels, as well as on taxis and coach tours. But the majority of ordinary people have far more to gain from tourism than they have to lose.

An obvious advantage is that tourism leads to the development of hotels and shopping facilities, and this creates jobs for local people—jobs which would not otherwise exist. From management staff down to cooks, local people stand to gain each time a new hotel is opened. In some cases, the benefit is less obvious because it is hidden away in an industrial zone or in a small village. We refer to the number of new industries which spring up because of increased tourism. Visitors look for examples of local crafts, and these tend to be developed to meet the demand. They may then develop to become useful exporter.

There are times when another crowd of tourists interrupt our peace or block a shop we want to visit. But somebody has to carry these visitors, and their arrival always leads to improvements in docks, airports and roads. Local people then benefit from these improvements, just as they do from the amusement parks, zoos and other facilities gradually developed to attract more and more tourists, or to persuade them to stay longer. We may not all want to visit these attractions but they are popular with the majority of local people. Without tourism, many of these places would never be established.

It has been said that tourism leads to a fall of moral standards but this is not strictly true. A minority of visitors bring their bad habits with them but the majority are middle-aged or elderly people whose major fault, perhaps, is that they eat too much for their own good. However, tourists provide greater variety and interest in the lands they visit.