VI. Complete the text with the words in the box:

benefits increase protected environment resources pitfalls agriculture

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves and sustains the well-being of local people." Many gov­ ernments, industry groups, and others are promoting "ecotourism" — responsible travel that generates money and jobs while also protecting local environments and cultures. Ecotour­ ism can suffer from the same environmental as conventional tourism, including using

irresponsibly, creating waste, and endangering ecosystems.

Rising interest in ecotourism has had positive . Governments are setting aside

areas, sparing them from more environmen-

in ecotourism

valuable natural areas as national parks or __

tally destructive activities like , logging, or mining. The greatest

has occurred in places with the highest numbers of protected areas, an important factor in choosing a destination.

Read the text and formulate the main ideas.

The Effect of Tourism

There are great differences of opinion on this subject. Some people point out that the development of the tourist industry has greatly helped to strengthen the economy of many countries. At the same time there are others who feel that the tourist industry has had harmful social effects which greatly outweigh its possible advantages.

Overall, the effect of the tourist industry upon the economy of the country is con­ sidered beneficial. In particular, the tourist industry brings a lot of foreign currency into the

region. It creates employment and provides a market for local handicraft | industries as well as for local agriculture and fisheries.

(3) The tourist industry makes a very important contribution to the economy of the re­gion as a whole, although its importance varies greatly from one country to another. In sev­eral countries, including the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the US Virgin Islands, the tourist industry forms the basis of the local economy. Even some of the countries which in the past have attracted few holiday visitors now feel that the de­velopment of the tourist industry offers them the quickest means of strengthening their economy. This is especially true for the smaller countries which lack mineral resources, and which prospects for the development of manufacturing industry are not good.

(4) The number of visitors to different countries varies greatly, but numbers alone do not give a true picture of the importance of tourism to the local economy. Even more impor­tant than the number of visitors a country has, is the amount of money which the visitors spend.

(5) Tourism also makes other contributions to the local economy. In some cases the growth of the tourist industry has provided a valuable stimulus to local agriculture and to the local fishing industry, as tourist hotels provide a ready market for fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, fish, dairy produce and meat. Local handicraft industries also benefit from the growth of tourism. The making of handicrafts in sisal, straw and wood has become very im­portant in such countries as the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.

(6) However, the growth of tourism is not without problems. A flourishing tourist trade which has taken many years to build up can decline. This can be the result of unfa­vourable political developments, outbreaks of disease and natural disasters in the resort ar­eas themselves, or the result of economic problems in the countries which supply most of the visitors.

(7) In the major resort areas the tourist industry is certainly important as a provider of employment. There is not only a direct employment provided in the hotels and guest houses to tourists, but much additional work is created in transport and entertainment and many people benefit from it. On the other hand, employment in tourism tends to be seasonal in nature. At the height of the tourist season there is a large demand for workers, but at other times of the year there are relatively few visitors, and some hotels may shut down entirely for the period.

(8) In addition to its impact on the economy, the growth of tourism has been responsi­ble for bringing together peoples whose cultures and lifestyles are different. But not every­one has been entirely happy with the social consequences of tourism. For example, in some Caribbean countries casinos and other gambling houses have sprung up with tourism. Many people feel that these activities help to demoralise Caribbean society and that they should not be allowed to exist. Others argue that gambling provides relaxation and attraction for tourists and should therefore be permitted.

(9) There have also been complaints that some foreign tourists dress too scantily, and that this is an insult to the dignity of the people of the region. There are other critics of the tourist industry who suggest that it has been responsible for an increase in prostitution and drag abuse in the resort areas.

(10) Other people complain about the effect of tourism upon the local cost of living. The land sold for building hotels and other tourist facilities often has a far higher price than the current local price. This has had a considerable impact upon the price of land in general. In many cases this tremendous increase in land values has prevented local people from be­ing able to buy even a small plot of land for their own use.