Travel and tourism: IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions & answers

Opening question

Warm-up: close to home

1. Opinion

   What do people usually gain from travelling to other countries?

   2
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

   1. My view→
   2. Why→
   3. Example→
   4. But

   I'd say the biggest gain is perspective, because seeing how differently people live makes you question things you'd always taken for granted. When you're surrounded by an unfamiliar language and customs, you have to adapt and solve problems without your usual support network, and that tends to build confidence and patience. A cousin of mine spent a few months working in a small town abroad, and he came back far more relaxed about schedules, having seen that life doesn't fall apart when a bus runs late. That said, not everyone gains much, since people who stay in a resort and eat familiar food might come home with a tan but hardly any new understanding.

   taken for granted

   accepted without questioning or appreciating it

   your usual support network

   the people who normally help you

   doesn't fall apart

   doesn't collapse or go badly wrong

   114 words · about 50 seconds spoken

Development: society

1. Compare

   How is the way people travel today different from in the past?

   3
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   Sample answerBand 8ThenNowWhy it changed

   1. Then→
   2. Now→
   3. Why it changed

   In my parents' day, a holiday abroad was something you planned months ahead through a travel agent, often as a package tour with a fixed itinerary and a guide. Today people tend to organise everything themselves on their phones, booking a room in a stranger's flat, finding restaurants through online reviews and changing plans on a whim. The internet has handed control to the traveller, and with so much information at their fingertips, people feel confident heading off alone to places that would once have seemed daunting.

   on a whim

   suddenly, without planning

   at their fingertips

   easily available whenever they need it

   would once have seemed daunting

   would have felt frightening or difficult in the past

   87 words · about 38 seconds spoken

2. Pros and cons

   Do you think tourism does more good or more harm to local communities?

   4
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

   1. Upside→
   2. Downside→
   3. On balance

   Tourism can be a lifeline for places with few other industries, bringing jobs, keeping traditional crafts alive and funding better roads and services. The harm tends to appear when it grows too quickly, as rents rise beyond what local people can afford, historic centres fill up with souvenir shops and residents start to feel like extras in their own town. So much depends on how it's managed, and where tourism is planned carefully and the profits stay in the community, I'm inclined to believe it does more good than harm.

   a lifeline for

   something essential for survival

   extras in their own town

   unimportant background figures in their own home

   more good than harm

   has a positive effect overall

   90 words · about 39 seconds spoken

3. Cause and effect

   Why do some places become tourist destinations while others don't?

   5
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   Sample answerBand 8Main causeAnother causeEffect

   1. Main cause→
   2. Another cause→
   3. Effect

   Natural assets are the most obvious factor, so somewhere with a stunning coastline, a mild climate or famous historical sites has a head start. Accessibility matters every bit as much, since even a beautiful region will struggle if it takes two days to reach, and nowadays a single viral photo or a popular film can put an unknown village on the map almost overnight. As a result, attention tends to concentrate on a handful of famous spots, which become overcrowded, while equally lovely places nearby remain largely undiscovered.

   has a head start

   begins with an advantage over others

   put an unknown village on the map

   make an unknown place famous

   a handful of

   a small number of

   88 words · about 38 seconds spoken

Depth: the abstract and the future

1. Opinion

   Should there be limits on the number of tourists certain places allow?

   6
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

   1. My view→
   2. Why→
   3. Example→
   4. But

   For particularly fragile places, I believe limits are not only sensible but necessary. Some sites simply can't absorb unlimited visitors, whether it's an ancient monument being worn down by thousands of feet or a coral reef that's damaged every time a boat drops anchor. I've read about historic cities that now charge day-trippers an entry fee or cap the number of cruise ships, and residents there seem relieved to get their streets back. The tricky part is doing it fairly, because if access is rationed purely by price, these places risk becoming playgrounds for the wealthy.

   worn down by

   gradually damaged by

   get their streets back

   regain the use of their own neighbourhood

   playgrounds for the wealthy

   places only rich people can enjoy

   96 words · about 42 seconds spoken

2. The future

   How might the way people take holidays change in the coming years?

   7
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   Sample answerBand 8PredictionBecauseBut

   1. Prediction→
   2. Because→
   3. But

   I suspect we'll see more people holidaying closer to home and taking fewer but longer trips. Concern about the environmental cost of flying is growing, and since many people can now work remotely, they might spend a month somewhere, working in the mornings and exploring in the afternoons, rather than cramming everything into a single week. Then again, cheap flights are hard to give up, and unless governments make them noticeably more expensive, I doubt the quick weekend city break will vanish any time soon.

   closer to home

   nearer to where you live

   cramming everything into

   fitting too much into a short time

   any time soon

   in the near future

   85 words · about 37 seconds spoken

3. What if

   If air travel became far more expensive, how would tourism change?

   8
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   Sample answerBand 8If soResultWider effect

   1. If so→
   2. Result→
   3. Wider effect

   If flying became a luxury again, long-haul holidays would most likely go back to being a once-in-a-lifetime event for most families. People would rediscover their own countries, and train travel would boom, so destinations within a day's journey, including plenty of overlooked regions at home, would see a surge in visitors. The downside is that countries heavily dependent on overseas tourists, especially small island nations, would face a serious economic shock, even though the environment would undoubtedly benefit from fewer flights.

   a once-in-a-lifetime event

   something that happens only once in your life

   a surge in visitors

   a sudden large increase in visitors

   a serious economic shock

   sudden, severe damage to an economy

   81 words · about 35 seconds spoken

4. Pros and cons

   Does travel really help people understand other cultures, in your opinion?

   9
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

   1. Upside→
   2. Downside→
   3. On balance

   It certainly can, because meeting people face to face, eating in their homes or even just watching how they behave on public transport teaches you things no documentary ever could. Yet a lot of tourism happens inside a bubble, where visitors see a polished version of a culture laid on for them and spend most of their time with other foreigners. So travel opens the door to understanding, but whether anyone walks through it depends on their curiosity and their willingness to step outside their comfort zone.

   inside a bubble

   cut off from the reality around you

   laid on for them

   specially arranged for their benefit

   step outside their comfort zone

   try things that feel unfamiliar or challenging

   87 words · about 38 seconds spoken