International tourism has become a huge industry in the world. It has brought enormous benefits to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the problems of international tourism outweigh its advantages?
Sample Response
The global tourism industry has experienced significant growth, bringing both substantial benefits and concerns. While international tourism has contributed to economic prosperity in many destinations, there are also valid concerns regarding its impact on local communities and the environment. This essay will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of international tourism, and outline that its benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.
The rapid growth of international tourism can strain natural resources and ecosystems. Overcrowding and over-tourism in popular destinations can lead to environmental degradation, threatening fragile ecosystems, wildlife, and natural landmarks. Additionally, tourism can create cultural tensions and disrupt local communities' traditional way of life. For instance, the Galápagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, faces challenges from tourism-related pollution and habitat disturbance that endanger unique species.
On the contrary, international tourism has become a key driver of economic growth for many countries. It stimulates local economies by generating employment opportunities, particularly in the hospitality and service sectors. Revenue from tourism can boost infrastructure development, such as airports, roads, and public services, improving the overall quality of life for residents. Countries like Thailand and Spain, for example, heavily rely on tourism income, and it significantly contributes to their GDP, supporting various businesses and livelihoods.
Moreover, international tourism fosters cultural exchange and understanding between visitors and local inhabitants. Interactions with diverse cultures enhance mutual respect and appreciation for global diversity. It is one of the significant contributors to reducing the gaps among nations and bringing their people together.
In pithy, international tourism brings undeniable economic and cultural advantages to destinations worldwide. However, the rapid growth of this industry has raised concerns about its negative impact on the environment and local communities. By adopting sustainable practices and responsible tourism approaches, the benefits of international tourism can be maximized while mitigating its potential problems. Therefore, I believe that its problems do not outweigh the benefits.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use parallel outcome nouns Original: concerns Suggested revision: costs Why it matters: Benefits and costs form a clearer pair of tourism outcomes.
- 2. Use valid reporting verb Original: outline Suggested revision: argue Why it matters: Outline does not take a that-clause in this construction.
- 3. Remove overlapping terms Original: Overcrowding and over-tourism Suggested revision: Overtourism Why it matters: The two terms substantially overlap in meaning here.
- 4. Match plural communities Original: way Suggested revision: ways Why it matters: The plural possessive subject logically takes plural ways.
- 5. Use contrast transition Original: On the contrary Suggested revision: By contrast Why it matters: By contrast introduces the shift from drawbacks to advantages correctly.
- 6. Use formal example marker Original: Countries like Thailand and Spain Suggested revision: Countries such as Thailand and Spain Why it matters: Such as introduces examples more formally.
- 7. Place adverb naturally Original: heavily rely on tourism income Suggested revision: rely heavily on tourism income Why it matters: The adverb normally follows rely in this construction.
- 8. Use valid summary marker Original: pithy Suggested revision: summary Why it matters: In pithy is not a valid introductory expression.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: Countries like Thailand and Spain, for example, heavily rely on tourism income, and it significantly contributes to their GDP, supporting various businesses and livelihoods. Suggested revision: Countries such as Thailand and Spain rely heavily on tourism income, which contributes significantly to their GDPs and supports many businesses and livelihoods. Why it matters: The rewrite fixes the pronoun reference, plural possessive sense and coordinated structure.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: It is one of the significant contributors to reducing the gaps among nations and bringing their people together. Suggested revision: Tourism can help narrow divisions between nations and bring their people together. Why it matters: The rewrite gives It a clear referent and replaces an awkward contribution phrase.
- 11. Strengthen advantage sequence Suggested revision: Link cultural exchange explicitly as the second advantage after economic growth, then keep its explanation focused on that transition. Why it matters: A clearer connection would make the move between the two advantage paragraphs more deliberate.
Suggested Rewrites
- concerns costs
- outline argue
- Overcrowding and over-tourism Overtourism
- way ways
- On the contrary By contrast
- Countries like Thailand and Spain Countries such as Thailand and Spain
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay’s strongest feature is its direct, well-supported comparison of environmental and social costs with economic and cultural benefits, leading to a consistent judgement. Its main limitation is that a few ideas, particularly cultural exchange, remain more general than the environmental and economic discussion, and several linking or lexical choices are awkward. Deepen that cultural point with a concrete mechanism or example and refine the few unnatural expressions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response fully addresses the comparison, maintains a clear position, and develops both problems and advantages with relevant support.
Develop the cultural-exchange benefit with the same specificity given to environmental harm and economic growth.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument is clearly paragraphed and progresses logically from drawbacks to stronger advantages and a consistent conclusion.
Replace “On the contrary” with a more accurate contrast marker and make the transition into the cultural benefit more explicitly comparative.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is broad and generally precise across environmental, economic, and cultural themes, with only occasional awkward collocations.
Revise expressions such as “In pithy” and “reducing the gaps among nations” into natural academic English.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used with strong control, while a few reference and agreement lapses remain non-impeding.
Check pronoun reference and agreement in the sentence about Thailand and Spain so the plural countries remain the grammatical subject.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
International tourism has become a huge industry in the world. It has brought enormous benefits to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the problems of international tourism outweigh its advantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.