Tourism Discussion and Debate

Lesson for Advanced Level Classes

Let's Do Tourism - Part 1

Aim
Discussion, explaining, reasoning, agreeing and disagreeing

Activity
Tourism — Do we need it? Discussion of pros and cons of developing local
tourism

Level
Upper intermediate to advanced

Outline
 Split students into two groups — one group representatives of 'Let's
Do Tourism', a tourism development company. The other group
representatives of the residents of your city and are in opposition to
the plans of 'Let's Do tourism'.
 Give each student a copy of one of the discussion notes.
 Ask students if they have any questions on the explanatory notes.
 Give students fifteen minutes to prepare for the discussion in their
groups. Students should discuss the points mentioned and any
other points they may come up within their groups.
 Circulate around the classroom helping students and taking notes
on common language problems.
 Have students get back together and try to convince you (or another
chosen group of students) of their reasoning.
 Begin the activity follow-up by going over some of the more
common mistakesmade by students.
 Finish the activity as a class by asking each student to choose one
reason either for or against the project. Each student should then
discuss one of the points in front of the rest of the class. Ask other
students to comment on the arguments presented.
Your Town, The Next Tourist Paradise?
A company called 'let's Do Tourism' is panning to invest a large amount of
money to turn your town into a major center for tourists. They have made plans
to manufacture a number of hotels and other tourist infrastructure in your
town. As well as the hotels, they have also made plans to radically improve the
nightlife in your town by opening a string of clubs and bars. They hope that by
the year 2004 your town will be a major competitor within the tourist industry
in your country.

Group 1
You are representatives of 'Let's Do Tourism' your aim is to promote the plans of
your company and to convince the others that tourism is the best solution for
your city. Points to concentrate on:

 The increase in jobs that will come with the increase in investment.
 The money that the tourists will bring into the local economy
 The progress and development of your city which will result in it
becoming more important with not only your region but also your
country as well.
 Better for the young people of your city as there will be much more
investment in leisure industries.

Your Town, The Next Tourist Paradise?

A company called 'let's Do Tourism' is panning to invest a large amount of
money to turn your town into a major center for tourists. They have made plans
to manufacture a number of hotels and other tourist infrastructure in your
town. As well as the hotels, they have also made plans to radically improve the
nightlife in your town by opening a string of clubs and bars. They hope that by
the year 2004 your town will be a major competitor within the tourist industry
in your country.

Group 2
You are the representatives of the residents of your city and are in opposition to
the plans of 'Let's Do tourism'. Your aim is to convince the others that this is a
bad idea for your town. Points to consider:

 Environmental issues - tourists = pollution

 Troublemakers - many tourists have no respect for the places they visit
and are only interested in getting drunk and causing trouble.
 The rise in tourism will bring about radical changes and will result in the
traditional way of life in your town being lost. Perhaps forever.
 Rather than promoting the position of your city in your country, this
move will make your city the laughing stock of your country.