Although holidaymakers contribute hugely to the economies of many popular destinations, the influx of tourists can also cause serious issues. This essay will demonstrate how tourism can transform the economy of poor areas but will show that it can also lead to a marked increase in crime. Although this problem is a significant one, the essay argues that the advantages of tourism do outweigh the disadvantages. One of the main advantages is the number of jobs the tourist industry creates for local people. The many hotels, restaurants, shops and other facilities provide employment for the residents. A good example of a country that is taking full advantage of a booming tourist industry is Thailand. Regions that were once dominated by poor fishing villages are now full of thriving holiday resorts. With everyone now having a job, the general standard of living has greatly increased. The economic boost to these local communities has also had a massive impact on the year on year, largely due to tourism. However, an increase in holidaymakers can lead to some worrying issues. One of the most serious of these is an escalation in the local crime rate. This is a particular problem in popular party destinations such as Ibiza where illegal drug taking and the excessive consumption of alcohol, which leads to unruly behaviour, are an important part of the holiday experience for many visitors. The affected areas, which were once quiet coastal towns and villages with very little crime, now require a large police presence to tackle these problems. In conclusion, although mass tourism can result in a rise in criminal activity, it greatly improves the lives of most local inhabitants as well as contributing significantly to the national economy. Hence, the positive effects of the tourist industry definitely outweigh the drawbacks.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Modern Tourism
A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income. Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not managed correctly. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world. Do you think that benefits of tourism outweight its drawbacks?
Annotated response
1 correction note
Overall assessment
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response directly addresses the question with a clearly stated position, balanced development of economic benefits and crime-related drawbacks, and relevant examples such as Thailand and Ibiza. Its strongest aspect is the fluent, precise language and secure complex sentence control, while the main limitation is that the discussion of disadvantages is somewhat narrower and less developed than that of advantages.
IELTS criteria
How each score was decided
Task Response
7.5The essay covers both advantages and disadvantages, presents a clear and consistently maintained position, and supports its main ideas with concrete examples, though development of the drawbacks is somewhat limited in range.
Coherence and Cohesion
7.5Ideas progress logically through a clear introduction, advantage paragraph, disadvantage paragraph, and conclusion, with cohesive devices and referencing used naturally and effectively throughout.
Lexical Resource
7.5Vocabulary is flexible and precise, with natural collocations such as 'marked increase', 'escalation in the local crime rate', and 'booming tourist industry', showing good awareness of style with only minimal lapses.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
7.5A wide range of complex structures, including relative clauses and subordinate constructions, is used with strong accuracy and flexibility, with only rare minor slips that do not impede communication.