Sample answer
Why, do you think, do some people book package holidays rather than travelling independently?
I think the first reason is that booking a package tour can save you quite a lot of money compared to arranging everything on your own. Tour companies often have the best deals from hotels, airlines and other providers, which they pass on to their customers. Therefore, if you book a package tour, you can enjoy staying in a four or five-star hotel and enjoy many other services at a more affordable price than if you book each element separately. Another thing is convenience. You don’t have to worry about things like accommodation and travel arrangements because everything is taken care of by the company you’re booking with.
Would you say that large numbers of tourists cause problems for local people?
I think only a small minority of tourists cause problems for local people. The majority try their best to show respect for the locals. It’s true that some tourists have no respect when travelling. They don’t do any research before visiting a country and when they find a custom or tradition that is different from their own country, they refuse to accept it or even try to make fun of it. However, I think most tourists are good tourists, who respect the cultural and traditional differences and show respect for local residents. Of course, if many tourists visit a particular place, the more likely it is that some of them will behave badly. This might cause problems at popular destinations.
What sort of impact can large holiday resorts have on the environment?
I think they have a negative impact on the environment. First, large areas of woodland or forest are cut down to make way for big hotels, resorts and other tourist facilities. This loss of natural habitats threatens species that live there and disrupts the balance in the ecosystem. Second, the growth in tourism leads to increasing amounts of waste, especially solid waste, being discharged into the environment, contaminating soil and water. Finally, large hotels and resorts require enormous amounts of resources, including water and energy. These facilities consume vast amounts of water, contributing to water scarcity, particularly in arid regions.
Useful vocabulary
- package tour /ˈpæk.ɪdʒ ˌtʊr/ (n) = a holiday at a fixed price in which the travel company arranges your travel, hotels, and sometimes meals for you
- deal /diːl/ (n) = an agreement, especially in business, on particular conditions for buying or doing something
- pass on to = to give something to somebody else, especially after receiving it or using it yourself
- minority /maɪˈnɒrəti/ (n) = the smaller part of a group; less than half of the people or things in a large group
- majority /məˈdʒɒrəti/ (n) = the largest part of a group of people or things
- make fun of somebody/something = to laugh at somebody/something or make other people laugh at them, usually in an unkind way
- have a negative impact on = hurt; harm; damage
- disrupt /dɪsˈrʌpt/ (v) = to make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way
- contaminate /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ (v) = to make a substance or place dirty or no longer pure by adding a substance that is dangerous or carries disease
- arid regions = areas that receive little precipitation—less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year
