Tourism Is Causing Environmental Problems | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample

Tourism is causing environmental problems all around the world. What are the main causes of this? What are some solutions.

Here is a band 8 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample

Tourism has gained more popularity over the past few years since it has become more accessible and affordable. The influx of tourists, unfortunately, leads to littering, pollution and ecological damage in tourist places. However, the problems can be mitigated to a great extent by disposing of wastes properly and encouraging the use of public transport.

On the one hand, several alluring tourist spots have been ruined by the increased visit of tourists. Some irresponsible visitors leave trash in public spaces such as parks, beaches or mountains. For example, numerous beaches in Goa, India which were known for their breathtaking view has lost their charm because of littering. It is also reported that some sorts of wastes disrupt the life of marine animals and birds. Many whales have been found dead on several islands because of the consumption of plastic. Another major downside is that most tourist spots are in the mountains or on rivers. Excessive construction of roads and resorts for the visitors is the number one cause of environmental damage in these places.

On the other hand, these problems can be alleviated by adopting suitable measures. The government should make stringent laws to control the illegal dumping of waste. Imposing fines on litterers and educating them is a potential solution. Authorities should install / put up enough trash bins for the disposal of used bottles and polythene covers. Moreover, leveraging existing infrastructure can help. The government should ban the construction of new resorts and hotels and instead promote homestays. It is also important to limit the number of people who can visit tourist places in highly sensitive ecological areas.

In conclusion, tourism is hazardous to the environment, causing air and water contamination. However, through careful means like educating the tourists, penalizing littering and banning unnecessary infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive areas, this distressing situation can be restrained.

Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample

Tourism is a major source of revenue for many places but this development has also generated some ecological problems. The side effects resulting from this prosperity will be discussed in this essay along with the measures which can be used to solve these problems.

Multiple factors contribute to these problems. To be more specific, the noticeable increment in tourists means an obvious surge in the demand for various kinds of vehicles including private cars, public buses and subways. However, the running of these vehicles relies on the energy generated by burning fossil fuels, and this process will release more toxic gas. Consequently, the increase in such gas emissions will worsen the already serious air pollution. In addition, the boom in the number of tourists can result in the increase in solid refuse because travelers have the habits of eating convenience food during their trips and throwing the packaging away. Meanwhile, this package is made of plastic which is very difficult to be decomposed, and this often leads to severe solid garbage contamination.

There are some methods which are very helpful in alleviating these troubles.  To commence with, local authorities of all the tourist places / travel destinations should promote the usage of some clean energy-powered vehicles such as electricity cars by offering the owners of these cars personal tax benefits. This can improve air quality smoothly by eliminating the air pollutants. Besides, administrative bodies should allocate more capital to install more waste recycling devices so that rubbish can be collected and transported to litter processing factories where the refuse disposal is very professional, mitigating garbage pollution successfully.

In conclusion, the environment menaces caused by the popularity of tourism include air pollution and solid garbage contamination, and these problems can be tackled by promoting eco-friendly vehicles and disposing of waste in proper ways.

Here is another band 7.5 IELTS essay on this topic.

Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample 2

Tourism has seen a rapid rise in recent times due to the availability of low-cost travel plans and wide range of budget friendly destinations. This has led to littering, pollution and ecological damage in tourist places. These problems can be mitigated by imposing strict laws and promoting usage of public transportation.

In recent times it is seen that people are not bothered about the damage caused to nature by throwing rubbish at tourist spots they visit. For instance, the scenic beauty of many beaches in Goa has been spoilt due to improper disposal of waste by visitors. Moreover, this has affected the marine life too as a large number of aquatic animals have choked on plastic wrappers and bags carelessly thrown into water bodies.

Another cause of ecological damage is the excessive construction activity in hilly and remote regions. To overcome these there are certain steps that can be taken. Firstly, the government
 needs to install more waste collection bins and impose hefty fines on tourists who litter around. Secondly, tourists should be encouraged / advised to use biodegradable substitutes such as bamboo bottles instead of plastic. Thirdly, the government should promote existing facilities in hilly areas such as homestays and limit the number of visitors so that we can avoid altering the space around for new construction and thus retain the natural beauty as such.

In conclusion, tourism and associated activities lead to various environmental problems. However, the government can reduce the damage to a great extent by encouraging eco-friendly means of transport, limiting the use of plastic in tourist places and avoiding further construction activity in ecologically sensitive areas.