Concern for the environment is growing and more and more people are choosing to be ‘eco-tourists’- travelling in responsible, environmentally-friendly ways. As a result, the eco-tourism industry is expanding.
To what extent do you think this is a positive trend?
The issues for the environment are rising, and therefore, numerous people opt to travel in eco-friendly ways. This has resulted in that the eco-tourism industry is growing at a good pace. I think that this is a positive development because it provides economic benefits to the host country, and a number of people thrive on tourists for their bread and butter.
The main reason why the expansion of environmentally friendly tourism is good because this helps to grow the economy of a country. The government reap the monetary benefits in the form of sales and services taxes when people stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant. For example, Thailand is a major tourist spot for international eco-travellers, and the major contribution to the economy of this country comes from tourism.
Another reason why eco-friendly tourism is a positive thing is that foreign people help to survive many people living in the country. Numerous people have set up their shops near the tourist’s hotspots, where they sell souvenirs to earn their livelihood. Consequently, they are totally dependent on the traveller who flocks to their nation. To illustrate, one of my friends lives in a major tourist destination, and his whole family is into the business of selling local artefacts to tourists. They do not have any other source of income.
In conclusion, the expansion of eco-tourism is a positive development to the nation because it builds the economy of a nation, and many people are dependent on tourists to feed their families.
