The Context Meaning and Scope of Tourism - IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation

The IELTS Reading section contains three passages and forty questions. There are different types of questions found in each IELTS reading passage. It is crucial to read the passage carefully and take mental notes of important points in order to answer the questions quickly. This IELTS reading sample - The Context Meaning and Scope of Tourism, is an IELTS Academic topic. The passage contains the following question types from IELTS Reading Question Types:

• Matching Headings
• True/ False/ Not Given
• No more than three words

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A - The history of travel

Travel has existed since the beginning of time, when primitive man set out, often traversing great distances in search of game, which provided the food and clothing necessary for his survival. Throughout the course of history, people have travelled for purposes of trade, religious conviction, economic gain, war, migration and other equally compelling motivations. In the Roman era, wealthy aristocrats and high government officials also travelled for pleasure. Seaside resorts located at Pompeii and Herculaneum afforded citizens the opportunity to escape to their vacation villas in order to avoid the summer heat of Rome. Travel, except during the Dark Ages, has continued to grow and, throughout recorded history, has played a vital role in the development of civilisations and their economies.

B - The development of mass tourism

Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon. Historians suggest that the advent of mass tourism began in England during the industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and the availability of relatively inexpensive transportation. The creation of the commercial airline industry following the Second World War and the subsequent development of the jet aircraft in the 1950s signalled the rapid growth and expansion of international travel. This growth led to the development of a major new industry: tourism. In turn, international tourism became the concern of a number of world governments since it not only provided new employment opportunities but also produced a means of earning foreign exchange.

C - Economic and social significance of tourism

Tourism today has grown significantly in both economic and social importance. In most industrialised countries over the past few years the fastest growth has been seen in the area of services. One of the largest segments of the service industry, although largely unrecognised as an entity in some of these countries, is travel and tourism. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (1992), travel and tourism is the largest industry in the world on virtually any economic measure including value-added capital investment, employment and tax contributions,. In 1992’ the industry’s gross output was estimated to be $3.5 trillion, over 12 per cent of all consumer spending. The travel and tourism industry is the world’s largest employer the almost 130 million jobs, or almost 7 per cent of all employees. This industry is the world’s leading industrial contributor, producing over 6 per cent of the world’s national product and accounting for capital investment in excess of $422 billion m direct indirect and personal taxes each year. Thus, tourism has a profound impact both on the world economy and, because of the educative effect of travel and the effects on employment, on society itself.

D - Difficulty in recognising the economic effects of tourism

However, the major problems of the travel and tourism industry that have hidden, or obscured, its economic impact are the diversity and fragmentation of the industry itself. The travel industry includes: hotels, motels and other types of accommodation; restaurants and other food services; transportation services and facilities; amusements, attractions and other leisure facilities; gift shops and a large number of other enterprises. Since many of these businesses also serve local residents, the impact of spending by visitors can easily be overlooked or underestimated. In addition, Meis (1992) points out that the tourism industry involves concepts that have remained amorphous to both analysts and decision makers. Moreover, in all nations this problem has made it difficult for the industry to develop any type of reliable or credible tourism information base in order to estimate the contribution it makes to regional, national and global economies. However, the nature of this very diversity makes travel and tourism ideal vehicles for economic development in a wide variety of countries, regions or communities.

E - The world impact of tourism

Once the exclusive province of the wealthy, travel and tourism have become an institutionalised way of life for most of the population. In fact, McIntosh and Goeldner (1990) suggest that tourism has become the largest commodity in international trade for many nations and, for a significant number of other countries, it ranks second or third. For example, tourism is the major source of income in Bermuda, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and most Caribbean countries. In addition, Hawkins and Ritchie, quoting from data published by the American Express Company, suggest that the travel and tourism industry is the number one ranked employer in the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, France, (the former) West Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. However, because of problems of definition, which directly affect statistical measurement, it is not possible with any degree of certainty to provide precise, valid or reliable data about the extent of world-wide tourism participation or its economic impact. In many cases, similar difficulties arise when attempts are made to measure domestic tourism.

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Questions 1-4
Reading Passage has five paragraphs, A-E.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-E from the list of headings below.

1. Answer: ii

Supporting Sentence: Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon.

Keyword: development, mass, tourism

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct option as a large number of people have started visiting tourist places making it a mass phenomenon. Tourism in mass form has started in the twentieth century and has developed further in the twenty-first century.

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2. Answer: i

Supporting Sentence: Tourism today has grown significantly in both economic and social importance.

Keyword: economic, social, significance, tourism

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism has grown in economic importance since it produces 6 per cent of the world’s national product and has grown in social importance as well since it has an educative effect on society. Besides tourism is also the largest industry to employ people making it contribute not just to the economy but also society in general.

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3. Answer: v

Supporting Sentence: However, the major problems of the travel and tourism industry that have hidden, or obscured, its economic impact is the diversity and fragmentation of the industry itself.

Keyword: difficulty, recognising, economic, effects, tourism

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism has economic problems due to its diverse nature and disintegration of the industry itself which in turn does not lead to related accurate data collection.

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4. Answer: vii

Supporting Sentence: In fact, McIntosh and Goeldner (1990) suggest that tourism has become the largest commodity in international trade for many nations and, for a significant number of other countries, it ranks second or third.

Keyword: world, impact, travel

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, 2nd line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism has become the largest contributing factor to the economy of the country thereby leaving a huge global impact for many nations.

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Questions 5-10

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

5. Answer: True

Supporting Sentence: According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (1992), travel and tourism are the largest industry in the world on virtually any economic measure including value-added capital investment, employment and tax contributions.

Keyword: largest employment figures, world, found, travel and tourism industry.

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 5th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism contributes to the economy of many countries. The tourism industry alone produces a gross output of $3.5 trillion and is the biggest employing industry by offering over 130 million jobs and engaging 7percent of employees in the industry.

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6. Answer: Not Given

Supporting Sentence: This industry is the world’s leading industrial contributor, producing over 6 per cent of the world’s national product

Keyword: Tourism contributes, over six per cent, Australian, gross national product

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 9th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism contributes to over 6 per cent of the world’s national product. The gross national product of Australia is not specifically mentioned in the passage.

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7. Answer: Not Given

Supporting Sentence: Thus, tourism has a profound impact both on the world economy and, because of the educative effect of travel and the effects on employment, on society itself.

Keyword: Tourism, social impact, promotes recreation

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, last line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism has an impact on society due to its high employability rate and the educative effect that it has due to travel. However, the passage nowhere overtly mentions that tourism has a social impact because it promotes recreation.

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8. Answer: True

Supporting Sentence: However, the major problems of the travel and tourism industry that have hidden, or obscured, its economic impact is the diversity and fragmentation of the industry itself.

Keyword: main features, tourism, economic significance, difficult to ascertain

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct option as two major features of the tourism industry, which is fragmentation and diversity, makes the industry arduous to make sure of its economic impact. The industry not only serves the tourists but also locals which might get overlooked. Thus, creating an unreliable information base.

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9. Answer: Not Given

Supporting Sentence: Since many of these businesses also serve local residents, the impact of spending by visitors can easily be overlooked or underestimated.

Keyword: visitor spending, greater than, spending of residents

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 5th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism not only caters to the tourists who are travelling across the globe but also to the local residents of tourist areas. However, there is no specific mention that visitors spend more than the residents of tourist areas.

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10. Answer: False

Supporting Sentence: However, because of problems of definition, which directly affect statistical measurement, it is not possible with any degree of certainty to provide precise, valid or reliable data about the extent of worldwide tourism participation or its economic impact.

Keyword: easy to show, statistically, tourism affects, individual economies.

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, last 4th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as tourism has certainly become the largest contributor to the world economy but due to the problems in definition, it doesn’t provide an exact, valid and reliable statistical data about its worldwide participation and economic impact on specific countries across the globe.

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Questions 11-13
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

11.Answer: source of income/industry

Supporting Sentence: For example, tourism is the major source of income in Bermuda, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and most Caribbean countries.

Keyword: Greece, tourism, most important

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, 4th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as the passage reads that tourism is the major source of income in various countries including Greece.

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12. Answer: employer

Supporting Sentence: In addition, Hawkins and Ritchie, quoting from data published by the American Express Company, suggest that the travel and tourism industry is the number one ranked employer in the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, France, (the former) West Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Keyword: travel and tourism, Jamaica, major

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, 7th line

Explanation: This is the correct option as the passage reads that travel and tourism, as suggested by Hawkins and Ritchie, is the number one employer in various countries which includes Jamaica.

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13. Answer: domestic employer

Supporting Sentence: In many cases, similar difficulties arise when attempts are made to measure domestic tourism.

Keyword: problems, measuring, international tourism, reflected

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, last line

Explanation: This is the correct option as the measurement of data related to domestic tourism is affected due to the lack of definition. Thus, reliable and valid information does not get created concerning economic contribution or tourism participation within the national boundary of any country