Tourism is the fast-growing industry of our age, and as travel becomes even easier it will continue to expand. But is this really the best thing for us all? It’s a good question.

Personally, I live in a small town where tourists are few and far between. In one way, having tourists around would bring a breath of fresh air into the town, and people would open up more interesting shops that could benefit everyone. If hotels were opened and new leisure activities set up, there would be greater job opportunities and young people would be more likely to stay in the town instead of moving to the city to find work as they do at present. There would also be more for local people to do in their spare time. So there are certainly advantages that come with tourism, but what about the other. side of the coin?

Travel increases pollution and damage to the environment in general. On a local level, too many tourists can upset the balance of a town and with the inevitable increase in traffic there is likely to be congestion in small centres like mine. This can be seen in small ski resorts in winter, when large numbers of enthusiastic skiers clog up narrow roads leading to the slopes causing problems for locals going about their normal lives.

So what’s the answer? On balance, I think there should be more tourism where I live because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages - though I think it should be regulated. On a personal note, I’d love to have a cinema in the town!