In under developed countries, tourism has disadvantages and can be said the opposite as well.

Low air fares have increased international holidays. Every year, people all over the world take summer or Christmas holidays to different countries. Often, people choose destinations with lower currency value than theirs. This way tourist has more money to spend during holidays.

Tourism has become a major industry for developing countries. Governments of many developing countries are encouraging tourism as it provides business to all sectors such as entertainment, shopping, food and local transport and travel. It has become a lucrative mode of income for people. Countries like Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka amongst many others have benefited the citizens and have drastically improved their standard of living and education.

Despite the advantages of a thriving tourism industry, we cannot overlook the damage it can do.  Developing and under developed countries tend to lose their traditional culture and values. They tend to adopt lifestyles, languages and food to match that of travellers. For example, in India, people are very influenced by the western culture and often look down upon Indian folk dance, handicraft work and languages. This can cause stress in the traditional culture and lead to animosity towards tourists.

To sum up, tourism can change the lives of people. However, governments of the developing and under developed countries must conserve their cultural heritage – which is the main attraction for people to travel.