The costs of international travel are decreasing and tourism is growing. What are the advantages and disadvantages of increasing tourism activity in different countries?

It is true that there has been an exponential

growth

in

tourism

because of the decreasing cost of international travel.

However

, while

tourism

results in more income to the

host

country

and the opportunity to propagate their culture, it

also

leads to the visitor destination becoming expensive for locals and causing environmental damage. On the one hand, there are obvious benefits to the

host

country

due to the

growth

in their

tourism

industry.

Firstly

, the increase in international tourists leads to additional income to the

host

country

. They bring in the most important foreign exchange that increases the

country

's foreign currency reserve. Most tourists spend money locally on food, accommodation and in purchasing memorabilia’s, which results in income

growth

for the local population.

Moreover

,

host

countries are able to transfer their culture, including food and language to the tourists. If these tourists have an entrepreneurial spirit, they may open restaurants serving the visiting

country

's cuisine.

As a result

, the food may be famous in other parts of the world.

For example

, Pizza, which is being mainly found in Italy before the advent of large-scale international travel. Due to

this

, many major cities around the world have restaurants serving Pizza.

However

, there are

also

downsides associated with the

growth

in

tourism

. The primary problem is that once a location becomes a

tourism

hotspot, major retails and hotel chains fancy to establish themselves in these locations.

Consequently

, the real estate prices go up and it becomes difficult for many locals make ends meet. Another problem is the effect it has on the environment. The amount of waste generated at a tourist location is directly proportional to the increase in the number of tourists. These wastes usually end up in landfills and local water bodies,

thus

, damaging the local ecosystem. In conclusion,

host

countries benefit from adding revenue and by passing their cultural value to tourists, they

also

have to deal with the downsides associated with the increase in property prices and damage to their flora and fauna.

Therefore

, countries should plan and invest in maintaining their tourist destinations.