The Curse of the Tourist (Baccalaureate 2007)
International tourism has grown into a booming industry. Widespread affluence among the world's middle class has combined with cheaper transportation to enable people to visit places their grandparents could only see on a map.
Unfortunately, there is no tourism without damage. Walking and breathing alone account for a great deal of the damage to the world’s treasures. A lot of tourism seeks to provide a similar life to what city-dwellers would expect at home. These
days, it's tough to find a vacation spot that doesn't in some way resemble a shopping mall, a garbage dump or a traffic jam. Fast-food stands have sprung up in the middle of pristine forests; ancient monuments have been converted into souvenir shops; in the world’s parks and preserves, tourists who come to enjoy nature inadvertently end by destroying it, and in many places, the environment and local people are suffering.
Tourism's deadliest impact is on local culture, particularly in developing countries. While many officials tout tourism as an economic boon, the fact is that it benefits the guest's country more than the host's. Travel analysts agree that at least 60 percent of the money generated by a tourist stays in his or her home country. And while the building of hotels, restaurants and attractions does create jobs, they are usually menial low-paying jobs. Furthermore, local customs are exploited for the tourist's benefit. Also, capital-hungry local and national governments often encourage the development of tourist Sites at the expense of their own people. Sometimes officials even divert money from necessities like schools for tourist purposes.
But more and more, tourism and government officials are beginning to recognize that the industry will be worthless if they don't take steps to protect the world's treasures. Perhaps, the most effective response to tourist - blight is the increasingly popular field of environmentally sensitive tourism, alternately known as ecotourism or green or low-impact or sustainable tourism. Proponents say not only that the evils of tourism can be minimized but also that ecotourism can have long-term positive effects. By coupling environmental education with bare-bones travel, ecotourism not only spread environmental awareness but also protect plant and animal life by giving local people incentives to preserve the environment. By using local guides and products as much as possible, ecotourism boosts local economies.
That's encouraging, but it will take more than a few classes to make up for centuries of tourist blight. In reality, the environmental damage wreaked by tourism is merely a reflection of larger environmental degradations. The problems posed by tourism will not be solved until the other great issues of our time are sorted out: policies on energy, water preservation, marine conservation and political oppression.
It's true that vacations are one of life's great pleasures, and people will never stop taking them. Yet, unless they learn to take them differently, they're going to start running out of places to go.
Newsweek, July 20, 1992
Vocabulary:
- mall (shopping mall): centre commercial
- tout: to advertise or praise strongly or aggressively
- pristine forest: original, unchanged, unspoilt forest
- boon: advantage, benefit
- menial: uninteresting and of low status.
A. Guided Commentary
1) According to the text. what explains the development of tourism in the world? (2 points)
2) In your own words, say what ecotourism is. (3 points)
3) Point out the advantages and disadvantages of tourism according to the text. (4 points)
4) Suggest ways and means to promote tourism in Burkina Faso. (5 points)
B. Translation (06 points)
Translate into French, from: "Tourism's deadliest impact…" down to "...for tourist purposes."