Writing Feedback / IELTS Writing Task 2 - Causes and solutions (Topic: Museums and Historical sites) [2]

Question: Many museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists but not local people. Why is this the case and what can be done to attract more local people to visit these places?

locals tend to underestimate the value of places they live in

Answer:
A number of monuments and museums primarily attract foreigners instead of the local. The primary cause of this phenomenon is the underestimation local people feel for these places and the most viable solution is an organization of events encouraging people to go to historical sites.

The principal cause leading to the shortage of local visitors is that they do not feel the need to visit the historical and cultural sites in their towns. As local monuments have already been familiar with citizens, they might find it boring to visit these places. As a result, they could influence their friends and families that local sites do not bring any value to their lives. For instance, a recent government survey found that 75% of people in Ha Noi refused to choose Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum as their destination because they found nothing exciting out there.

To tackle this problem, the government should hold special events, such as conventional games or festival at the monuments to motivate locals to visit these places. Organizing popular events could shed some light on this difficult situation and allow people to be more concerned about it. To illustrate, a similar initiative in China resulted in a 52% increase in the number of local visitors to important spots in their cities.

In conclusion, the number of foreign visitors is greater than that of local people in several historical and cultural places since locals tend to underestimate the value of these places. However, it can be addressed through conducting a variety of special programs there to stimulate local visitors.