Some people believe that visitors to other countries should follow local customs and behaviour. Others disagree and think that the host country should welcome cultural differences. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Visitors, Local Customs and Cultural Differences
Some people believe that visitors to other countries should follow local customs and behaviour. Others disagree and think that the host country should welcome cultural differences. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
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Compare responses from Band 5.5–7.0.
Predicted band5.5It is always debatable whether visitors should follow local customs and behaviour or the country should be accustomed to cultural differences. At first, I would like to discuss following local customs and behaviour. As a human being, we have consciousness which helps us to decide what is right or wrong that we apply in every sphere of our life. But everybody may not apply consciousness or may not have the same level of consciousness to apply. If one does not follow local customs, he/she may not be taken warmly by people of that country. Due to this reason, I believe that everybody who visits other countries should follow local customs and behaviour. Beside this, local customs and behaviour are mostly regulated by the religion of the country which is very sensitive to most people. That is why I agree with the view of following local customs and behaviour. In the other hand, there are many reasons to agree with the second view that the host country should welcome cultural differences. It is universally true that the civilisation is evolving from the beginning of mankind and the main reason behind this is that people are travelling from one place to another to explore the world which brings new cultures to new places. If one fails to welcome cultural differences, he/she will not be able to cope with cultures of other countries. This will impact the economy in terms of tourism and modernization as well as evaluation of civilisation. A good example of welcoming cultural differences is Malaysia. People of western countries are travelling to Malaysia and most of them are not used to follow local customs and being a Muslim country, Malaysia also providing freedom to visitors until laws are broken. Malaysia has become an example for other countries to welcome cultural differences. That is why cultural differences should always be welcomed until it hurts your philosophy or religion.Predicted band6.5Nowadays the tourism industry is growing at a tremendous speed. Due to the boom in transport industries and holiday packages, people often travel other countries for holidays and on official trips. There is a debate ongoing on whether the visitors from other nationality should follow local customs and behaviours during their stay in host countries. I will discuss this in below paragraphs. Firstly, when the foreigners visit other countries they carry their culture along with them. But, during their stay in the host country, if they adopt the local customs, it will be helpful for them to get better communication with the local people. Meanwhile, when they adjust themselves to the local people's behaviour, it will make them easier to socialise with them. Also, this will help local people to better understand the foreigners. Secondly, this will help the foreigner to have a good idea about local cultures and rituals. This understating helps our culture to spread globally, thereby more and more people get attracted toward the local culture. This, in turn, attracts a number of visitors from different country's to visit. This will help in increasing the tourism industry and also helps in giving employment opportunity in the related industries. On the other hand, when the foreigners share their culture and behaviour with the local people it gives an opportunity to local people to a better understanding of their culture and characters. This will have an immense influence on local people's opinion about foreigners and their culture. Also, this helps them to identify the negative aspects of their culture and gives them an opportunity to correct it. To sum up, by considering the above benefits, I personally believe that the balanced exchange of cultures and behaviour of foreigners with local people will benefit both the countries to come together and calm down if there are any frictions between the countries. Also, this will have a positive impact on the economy of both countries.Predicted band7.0It is noticeable that people tend to travel more frequently these days than they used to do in the past. While I agree that the travellers should follow the host country’s traditions and cultures, I also think that the host country should welcome cultural differences. On one hand, travellers should adapt to the culture of their host country and feel happy with the idea of trying new things. Nowadays, people not only consider travelling as a way to relax but also they think it is a chance for self-improvement and exploring the world. Travelling is a good opportunity to try new things such as traditional cuisine, music and customs and those who just travel to view landscapes waste a perfect chance to learn something new. For example, people who have visited places like India, Egypt or China have been very excited when they tried the local food or wore the traditional dress. An experience like this broadens people’s horizons and enriches their knowledge. On the other hand, for many reasons the host country should accept and understand the different backgrounds of tourists. Firstly, for many visitors, it would be difficult to follow the host culture and customs because these usually different than their own and in some cases they may even be incompatible with their beliefs and morals. For example, Indian or Arabs who go to European countries may find it difficult to get used to the European taste in food because it does not contain as much spices as they have in their food. In addition, if travellers feel they are welcomed in the new country despite the cultural differences they will feel more comfortable to visit this place again. In conclusion, I believe that it could be beneficial for travellers to get exposed to different cultures and customs. However, tourist destinations should be opened to the cultural diversity of its newcomers.
Task response6.0
Coherence & cohesion5.5
Lexical resource5.5
Grammar5.5
Task response7.0
Coherence & cohesion7.0
Lexical resource6.0
Grammar6.0
Task response7.5
Coherence & cohesion7.5
Lexical resource7.0
Grammar6.5
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