B2 – Upper Intermediate
Tourism ban is a topic that has gained traction in recent years, particularly due to the rapid changes in environmental conditions, cultural impacts, and the effects of global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. While tourism is essential for many economies around the world, there are strong arguments for placing restrictions or even banning certain forms of tourism to protect local communities and the environment.
By recognizing the importance of preserving local integrity and ecosystems, societies can work toward creating a more sustainable tourist landscape that benefits everyone involved. The challenge lies in finding the balance between enjoying travel and protecting the places that make it special.
Watch the video to see how Spain is dealing with tourist overcrowding.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to sit out” mean here, “Don’t think Barcelona is sitting this one out.”? Use it in a sentence.
- What does “to come with a price” mean? “Well, it turns out that those Instagram photos with endless sunshine and vibrant street scenes come with a price.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does the word “grumble ” mean? “Spaniards are starting to grumble about their once Charming neighborhoods being taken over by tourists and who can really blame them.” Use it in a sentence and give 2 synonyms.
Discussion Questions:
- How does overtourism affect a city/country? Talk about the benefits and drawbacks.
- What could be the social and economic consequences of a ban on tourism in popular destinations?
- What are your thoughts on “Local only.” areas?
- How might a tourism ban affect local culture and heritage in places that heavily depend on tourism?
- What alternatives to tourism might local communities explore if tourism were banned or significantly restricted?
- Is overtourism really a problem for a city/country? Why or why not?
4 replies on “Spain Introduces Three-Year Tourist Ban”
Vocabulary Questions:
1. What does “to sit out” mean here, “Don’t think Barcelona is sitting this one out.”? Use it in a sentence.
The meaning of “to sit out” in this sentence is “to stay out”.
Example: “The government is sitting out the tourism in this Local Area”
2. What does “to come with a price” mean? “Well, it turns out that those Instagram photos with endless sunshine and vibrant street scenes come with a price.” Use it in a sentence.
The meaning of “to come with a price “in this sentence is “a negative consequence despite it seems positive at the beginning”.
Example: “Despite Real Madrid football team win the match the supporters come with a price”.
3. What does the word “grumble” mean? “Spaniards are starting to grumble about their once Charming neighborhoods being taken over by tourists and who can really blame them.” Use it in a sentence and give 2 synonyms.
The meaning of grumble in this sentence is “to complain or to groan”. For example: “the people of this city have started to grumble over the government housing taxes”.
Discussion Questions:
1. How does overtourism affect a city/country? Talk about the benefits and drawbacks.
Overtourism affects negativily a city or country because the cities could be owercrowded and that is negative for the sustainabillty of the cities and could be environmental problem. However tourism is one of the most important economical incomes for the countries and cities of the country then should be a balance between tourism in the cities and countries and sustainibity of them.
2. What could be the social and economic consequences of a ban on tourism in popular destinations?
Could be negative social and economic consequences due to the tourism as I said before represents one of the most important incentive and income for the economies of the countries. Then, this kind of measures should be taken with a lot of care and take into account differents aspects and effects that tourism represents for the cities that, could come to represent a loss for the tourism industry. However, it’s a reality, that this rules could be beneficial for the countries in the sense that keep the sustainability of the system and the environment.
3. What are your thoughts on “Local only.” areas?
Well, I think there areas where locals live only enjoying their life with their neighbours and the tourism don’t affect these areas. Surely these areas are not affected by overtourism and there are no overcrowded places, and probably people can live more peacefully. Although, this type of population also has to live off their own internal businesses and their own resources, since they do not have the external income from tourism, something that in other cities does provide a very high income for them.
4. How might a tourism ban affect local culture and heritage in places that heavily depend on tourism?
As I said before a tourism ban could be affect totally negative for culture and heritage in places that heavily depend on tourism, and could be a big loss for the income of these areas, such as lot of people could be lost their jobs, or example people who work in restaurant or in hotels. For this reason, I think this kind of measures could become very dangerous for places that strongly depend on tourism and loss a lot of money and decrease their economies.
5. What alternatives to tourism might local communities explore if tourism were banned or significantly restricted?
I think is a difficult question, but these kind of local communities incentivate and promote local resources and internal labour forces, I mean the internal economy. There are some local areas that d’ont live off tourism and have to promote and explore their own resources and their own economy and industries such as agriculture or the real state market and shopping malls with their own stores.
6. Is overtourism really a problem for a city/country? Why or why not?
I think is a problem if the government of the countries don’’t regulate the way of this tourism affect the sustainabilty of the countries. In therms of the rest or the peace of locals, d’ont disturb the rest of locals at nights for example, don’t over drunk, and create disturbs by the toruists. D’ont owercrowded specific places or areas. In conclusion, the tourism have to be regulate and with well control by goverments and politics, but without need to be ban except in the cases that will be major force or an obligation due to the actions by the own tourists.
You are doing a great job staying consistent with practicing to improve your writing skills more and more. Well done!
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Revised version:
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1. to sit out is not participated. A sentence: She decided to sit out the game because she is injured.
2. To come with a price is that something have a consecuence. A sentence: Success often comes with a price, such as hard work.
3. Grumble is to complain. A sentence: He grumble every monday.
1. Overtourism can hve a significant impact in several ways like the enviromental damage; high cost of housing, food, restaurants; overcrowded atractions..
2. A ban on tourism could lead positive and negative consequences. In areas where tourism has become a significant part of local like it will be negative for the small bussiness such a restaurants, shops, because loss their main customers, but also is positive because the life os the locals can be better because the house are going to be cheaper and the culture hasnt change.
3. local only offers a different and private place for the local so this is good but they have to know the economic impact that it can have.
4. A lot of because the famous place will never be the same. I cant imagine the fontana di trevi with out people. So this place have loss is charms and maybe its will loss his estructure in the future.
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Nice going with your writing practice. Keep it up!
Here is a better way to write this sentence:
The word “consequence” connotes a negative effect. So, you may use something neutral like “effect” or “impact” instead.
Always enjoy doing this exercise.