Holidaying in One's Own Country

The question

How to approach this two-part question question

A two-part question asks two direct questions. Answer both fully, one in each body paragraph.

1. Paraphrase the topic and say how you will answer both questions.
2. Body 1 answers question one with reasons and an example.
3. Body 2 answers question two with reasons and an example.
4. Conclude with a short summary of both answers.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the trend towards domestic holidays and state your answer: for most people it is a better choice, with some caution for the wider economy.
2. Body 1: the reasons, covering the rising cost of flights and accommodation, concern about the environmental impact of travel and a wish to discover places nearby.
3. Body 2: why it benefits individuals, covering lower costs, less stress and time with family, while noting the limits of choice and the crowding of popular places.
4. Body 3: the effect on the wider economy, covering support for local hotels and rural businesses, and the loss of spending abroad.
5. Conclusion: restate your answer to both questions and explain that the benefits are greatest when domestic tourism is spread beyond the most visited areas.

Idea bank

• A family that spends a week in a coastal town instead of flying abroad, saving money on airfare and transfers.
• A bed-and-breakfast owner in a quiet rural area who depends on visitors from the same country during the summer months.
• Crowding in the most famous national sites, which shows why domestic tourism needs to be spread beyond them.
• Counter-argument: money spent abroad can disappear from the national economy, so domestic spending alone may not compensate for lost tourism revenue.
• Seasonal jobs in hospitality, which rise when domestic tourists fill hotels during school holidays.

Useful vocabulary

• to opt for: Many families now opt for a domestic holiday to avoid airport delays.
• to boost local economies: Spending in small towns can boost local economies in quiet seasons.
• to be priced out of: Some families feel priced out of foreign travel.
• a domestic holiday: A domestic holiday often needs less planning than a trip abroad.
• to divert spending: Higher airfares can divert spending towards holidays at home.
• to shrink: The number of visitors to some popular resorts has shrunk in recent years.
• to be overlooked: Lesser-known regions are often overlooked by visitors.
• to attract visitors: New walking routes help to attract visitors to rural areas.
• to spread the benefits: Councils can spread the benefits of tourism beyond the busiest areas.
• a carbon footprint: Shorter journeys reduce the carbon footprint of a holiday.

Common mistakes

• Treating 'own country' as staying at home only, without considering road trips and regional travel.
• Ignoring the economic part of the second question and writing only about individuals.
• Confusing 'better' with 'cheaper', without explaining the other benefits that matter to people.
• Quoting statistics about tourism income that cannot be checked, rather than using reasons and examples.

Examiner tip: Answer both parts of the question, and make the economic answer concrete by naming the kind of business that gains, such as a rural guesthouse or local café.