Academic Essay- In underdeveloped countries, tourism has disadvantages and can be said the opposite as well. Discuss your opinions and give examples.
With the advent of cheaper air travel and an enhanced connectivity with the entire world, tourism has come within everyone’s reach. While it can have major contributions to a country’s finances and the overall standard of living of the natives, it can also come with its set of drawbacks. This essay will look into both ends of the spectrum in the perspective of an underdeveloped nation.
For several underdeveloped countries, their primary source of economic growth comes from agriculture and its allied activities or tourism. Such countries mostly see tourists from first world countries. As such, this not only heralds in a somewhat steady stream of foreign exchange into the country but also paves way for the country’s development. This, in turn, opens up several employment opportunities among the local populace thereby reducing poverty and enhancing the various services that are provided to the tourists such as transportation. Thus, tourism provides a win-win situation in this regard.
On the other hand, many underdeveloped countries have a very unstable government and are witness to acts of terror, crime and extremism. This could hamper the safety and security of the tourists. Besides this, in the absence of proper infrastructure and a deficit of funds, the government is forced to take hard decisions which could have hard-hitting impacts on the local biodiversity. A large influx of tourists could also have adverse impacts on the environment as they leave behind a larger carbon footprint than before. Interactions with tourists could also lead an underdeveloped country to lose its indigenous heritage and culture.
A perfect example of this would be tourists from developed nations visiting a poor neighborhood in a remote part of Africa, ending up mugged, kidnapped or killed because of oppression in the past. Oftentimes, a rich white tourist is met with aggression and judgement from the natives owing to white privilege.
In conclusion, while tourism, when managed well, can usher in more income for the country’s economy, the disadvantages that plague it should also be given careful consideration. This would ensure the country flourishes and people flock in numbers to take in everything that it has to offer.
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