Discussion Topic - Visitors
- Details
- Written by IELTS Mentor
Discussion Topic - Visitors.
Part 1- Introduction & Interview:
Q. 1. What would you suggest a visitor should see and do in your country?
Answer: Bangladesh, the biggest delta in the world, is a beautiful country which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year because of its natural beauty and rich traditions. However, to suggest a couple of places, tourists should particularly be interested in seeing the longest and natural sea beach, our national museum, and the biggest mangrove forest in the world in addition to enjoying exciting and delicious street foods.
Q. 2. Are there any traditional arts or music you would recommend?
Answer: Bangladesh has a very rich tradition in arts and music. To recommend traditional music, the name of “Bhatiali” comes to my mind which is a genre of folk songs that beautifully expresses the simple happiness and sadness of the daily life of farmers and villagers of my country. Besides, we have a rich collection of artworks that a tourist can enjoy if he/she visits the National Museum and the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka which that has a rich collections oriental art, drawing, painting, sculpture and crafts.
Q. 3. Tell me about the kind of foreign visitors or tourists who go to your country.
Answer: Many tourists come to visit Bangladesh every year, but most of them come either because of leisure tourism or cultural tourism. People, who come for leisure tourism, mostly from Europe and Asian countries, generally seek to break from the daily stress of life by resting and relaxing while cultural tourism allows the tourist to witness the traditional lifestyles, fairs and festivals of my country.
Q. 4. In what ways has tourism changed your country?
Answer: Tourism has significantly changed my country as more and more people are visiting Bangladesh every year. In fact, the contribution of tourism to our total GDP is about 4.5% which certainly is not a small matter. Besides, because of tourism, my country has developed its infrastructures in tourist spots by building many new luxury hotels and resorts and other tourism facilities. As a result, a great number of direct and indirect employment and business opportunities have been created in the last few years.
Part 3 - Details Discussion:
Q. 1. Should visitors follow the local rules and follow local tradition when they visit a foreign country? Why? / Why not?
Answer: Yes, it is important that visitors follow the local rules and follow the local tradition when they visit a foreign country, primarily because such practice would eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding and strife between the locals and the foreign visitors. Besides, following the local rules would also allow them to learn about the customs and cultures of the host countries, which can actually teach the visitors a thing or two about how to do a lot of things in better ways and more efficiently. After all, there is no end to learning.
Q. 2. Visitors often have to pay more money as an entrance fee to places of interest. Is this justified? Why?
Answer: In my humble opinion, paying more money by foreign tourists can be justified on two grounds; first one, of course, is local residents contribute to the maintenance of these important places by paying tax money every year, so it is justified that foreign visitors should pay more entrance and ticket fees. The second ground is that it does cost money, and probably a rather significant amount in that, to help maintain the sites and places of interest, and without that extra amount entrance fee, it would be really difficult for the local communities or the host countries to do so.
Q. 3. Some nations are more hospitable to their guests than others. Why is that?
Answer: Well, some nations are more hospitable to their guest than others, primarily because of their cultural roots. For example, in Japanese and middle-eastern cultures, the virtue of kindness and politeness holds the place of honour in every social interaction. Then, some nations can be more hospitable because of their firm religious beliefs for thousands of years. For example, In Ancient Greece, the proper provision of hospitality was considered a commandment of the gods, specifically Zeus Xenios, which still motivates them today to treat their guests like some “kings”.
Q. 4. Do you think people should study and learn about the custom and tradition of a country before they visit there? Why?
Answer: Yes, I do believe wholeheartedly that people should make some good efforts to study and learn about the customs and traditions of a country before they visit there for a couple of reasons. Firstly, such a practice would help travellers navigate through challenging situations without embarrassing themselves in a foreign country. Secondly, it would allow travellers to gain access to experiences while also receiving a healthy dose of appreciation and admiration from the natives for the attempt to learn their customs and traditions.
Q. 5. How knowing the local language helps visitors to a foreign country?
Answer: Learning the language has proven to have various benefits when we are visiting a foreign country, as it will help us get around places and make travel so much easier, turning it into a even more fun and memorable experience. It can be of great help, whether it’s for reading signs or asking for directions since it would save us from the likelihood of getting lost in a foreign country. Besides, knowing the local language would also enable us to confidently order food in a restaurant, check into a hotel, and better yet negotiate a cheaper price at a local market.
Q. 6. How can people learn to respect cultural differences?
Answer: Learning to respect cultural differences is absolutely imperative if we want to live in a better and peaceful world. There are two basic ways through which we can learn to respect the cultures of others. First, we can reflect on our own beliefs and biases with an objective mind which would open our eyes to the “flaws” of our own cultures. Secondly, we can also teach ourselves that we all human are basically the same with the same origin, and what only makes us different from each other is the way we do things sometimes.
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