Advantages and disadvantages of cultural tourism

Nowadays, cultural

tourism

is welcomed and encouraged in most countries, where it is seen both as an opportunity to display national treasures and achievements to visitors, and

also

as a source of income and jobs.

However

, in spite of these benefits, it can

also

pose severe problems for the specific sites which are visited. There are various advantages of cultural

tourism

for the sites themselves.

IN particular

, they may benefit from greatly increased income, part of which may be spent,

for example

, on improving museums and galleries and on more frequent and more ambitious exhibitions. Even though these may be designed primarily to attract tourists, they are

also

available for local people to enjoy. A

further

advantage is that local authorities recognise the value of their sites, which they

then

invest money in.

As a result

, monuments and historic buildings are restored and protected.

Finally

, visitors learn

first

hand about the

ocuntry

a politically organized body of people under a single government

country

, whose culture and the customs are

consequently

understood and appreciated better by both tourists and local people.

On the other hand

, cultural

tourism

has a number of drawbacks. The main one is that, in spite of protective measures being taken, the sheer number of visitors can cause serious damage to monuments

such

as ancient temples or cave paintings.

This

may mean that an important part of

country's national heritage

Suggestion

the country's national heritage

is lost.

Furthermore

, in a region which the monuments are expected to generate income for the local economy, the site may be

spoilt

Suggestion

spoiled

by being surrounded by ugly hotels and other tourist facilities.

Finally

, if too many tourists visit a site, it may

loose

fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

lose

its cultural significance within the local community.

This

is particularly the case for monuments which religious or social importance makes them a central part of community life. On the whole, while cultural

tourism

is generally beneficial, the problems which it causes can only be avoided with proper planning and sufficient investment in the protection and preservation of the sites which tourists visit.

In addition

,

although

cultural

tourism

in general should not be discouraged, the number of tourists visiting certain sites should be restricted and tourists should be educated to respect them.