Question: Foreign visitors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Band 8+ Sample Answer:
(Intro) With advances in transportation and the growing trend towards globalisation, international tourism in most countries has become a huge global business in the 21st century. It is certainly true that some countries charge international travellers more than locals for access to local tourist attractions. I totally disagree with this way of doing business.
(Body 1) Some may argue that foreign visitors tend to be more well-off since the standards of living are higher where they come from. This incorrect assumption leads local residents to believe these travellers are perfectly willing to cover the higher costs for entry into these places and consequently they should be charged a higher price. This view is totally unjustified because such transactions are downright unfair, especially for those who are travelling on a tight budget. Furthermore, the price of entry should be determined by the forces of supply and demand of the market as well as the value and quality it can provide, rather than the nationality of its customers. If foreign visitors realise they are being overcharged, unhappiness and frustration could naturally result which could definitely leaves a bad taste in their mouths. This is by no means desirable in today’s modern world due to the power of the words of mouth, as negative reviews can easily discourage prospective travellers from visiting that country, thereby damaging the local tourism industry.
(Body 2) Another argument in favour of why people from countries should pay more is related to damage that is caused by their lack of local knowledge or bad manners. In some extreme cases, they may cause real physical damage to structures of great historical value such as statues of war heroes or ancient sculptures, which can sometimes be irreversible. Even though there is a significant amount of evidence to back this up, it is unjust to say that the damage is solely caused by foreign visitors as a whole. Now that we are living in the information age, visitors are fully capable of equipping themselves with the appropriate knowledge about the dos and don’ts regarding places they plan to visit. For that reason, if a person, local or foreign, chooses not to get clued up and damages an exhibit he or she is fully to blame individually. All foreign visitors should not be punished for the mistakes of just a few individuals who behave irresponsibly.
(Conclusion) In conclusion, from my perspective, a foreigner should not be treated unfairly when visiting local tourist attractions as as this could have ramifications for the local tourism economy and its unfair to punish the many for the sins of the few. It is also worth mentioning that these attractions could consider employing sufficient numbers of staff in order to properly supervise visitors and therefore avoid expensive accidents. (456 words).
Words: Student essay, corrected & upgraded by Nick Kemp, former IELTS examiner.
Image: M15t3rDr4gOn / Pixabay.