Tourism Today: Facts and Challenges

Tourism is one of the biggest businesses in the world. There are nearly 800 million international tourist arrivals every year. It employs, directly or indirectly, one in fifteen of all workers worldwide, from A to Z, from airport cleaners to zookeepers, and includes bar staff, flight attendants, tour guides, and resort reps. It is a huge part of the economy of many countries – in countries such as the Bahamas, over 60% of the economy is based on tourism.

Tourism is a fast-growing business. When Thomas Cook organized his first excursion from Leicester to Loughborough in 1841, he probably didn't know what he was starting. Key developments in the last 150 years or so have led to the rise of mass tourism. There have been technological developments in transport, in particular the appearance of air travel and charter flights. There have been changes in working practices, with workers getting paid holiday time and working shorter and more flexible hours.

In recent years we have seen the growth of the Internet and globalization, which make the world seem a smaller but very fascinating place. The tourism industry grows faster and faster each year. In 1950, there were 25 million international tourist arrivals. In 2004, the figure was 760 million, and by 2020 it is predicted to be 1.6 billion.

But what are the challenges today? The tourism industry is affected by many different things: international events, economic change, changes in fashion. New concerns and worries appear every year, for example as people become more worried about security and international terrorism, or as the value of their currency changes. But new destinations and new sources of tourists also seem to emerge every year.

Tourism survives. It is a powerful and sometimes dangerous force in the modern world. Tourism creates many good jobs and careers, but it also produces many poor and badly paid jobs. Tourism can help to protect environments and animal life, but it can also damage them. Tourism can save cultures and the local way of life, but it can also destroy them. Tourism can change countries – and people – for the better, but it can also change them for the worse.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world. It is perhaps also the most important.

II. Поставьте к тексту вопросы разных типов.

III. По суффиксу определите и выберите 1) существительные, 2) прилагательные, 3) глаголы, 4) наречие.

Directly, arrivals, different, workers, technological, environments, probably, growth, economic, flexible, security, dangerous, destinations, nearly, organize, powerful, attendants, developments, badly, international.

IV. Определите видовременную форму глагола. Предложения переведите на русский язык.

1. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. 2. Growing so rapidly, tourism presents both tremendous opportunities and challenges. 3. The good news is the variety of exciting career prospects for today’s hospitality and tourism graduates. 4. Since being away from home is a necessary component of tourism, its development as a mass industry depended on modern means of rapid and inexpensive transportation. 5. The World Tourism Organization forecasts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 percent. 6. Undoubtedly, travel had enormous potential for those who were preparing for a career in princely administration. 7. Man has been travelling since ancient times.

V. Раскройте скобки, употребив глаголы в нужной видовременной форме.

1. Tourism usually (to aim) at the very top of social ladder. 2. Since ancient times, travel (to be) one of the cultural practices used for the acquisition and dissemination of learning and knowledge. 3. People (to start) travelling long ago. 4. Tourism (to develop) quickly nowadays and the general layout of the industry trends may be predicted and traced. 5. Perhaps soon people (to use) interactive computer programmes and virtual travel (to become) common. 6. For several decades, Western Europe (to be) a popular destination for international tourists.

VI. Переведите предложения, обращая внимание на различное употребление глаголов “to be”, “to have”.

1. Tourism is vital for many countries, such as the U.A.E, Egypt, Greece and Thailand, and many island nations, such as the Bahamas, Fiji, the Maldives and the Seychelles. 2. As an industry, tourism is expected to grow much faster than other sectors, about twice as fast as world GNP, especially international travel. 3. Tourism has been one of the fastest growing industries in recent years. 4. The Grand Tour was very useful for the young noblemen. 5. Tourism has many effects on a location, both good and bad, and it is important that tourists take responsibility for their actions, and are respectful of cultures and lands.

VII. Переведите предложения, обращая внимание на значения местоимений “it” и “one”.

1. Although it may help to boost a country's economy, the international tourism industry is fragile. 2. One should distinguish between leisure and business tourism. 3. Tourism is the issue that nearly every city faces. It is worldwide and it is a threat to beaches, famous landmarks, holy areas and also resorts. 4. There are a lot of means of travelling: travelling by ship, by plane, by car, walking, etc. It depends on a person to decide which one to choose.