Museums & Historical Places | Writing for Academic IELTS PDF Download

This is an example of an essay on museums and historical places. It is a causes (or 'reasons') and solutions essay as you have to explain why local people visit these places less than tourists, and then present ways to encourage more local people to visit.  You should always read the question carefully to make sure that you know exactly what you are being asked to do. This will avoid you making this mistake, which is important as partially answering the question will lead to your score being reduced.

Here is in the question:

Q. Many museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists rather than local people. Why is this? What can be done to encourage local people to visit museums and historical sites?

Sample Answer

• Although most places have sites of historical interest and a variety of museums to visit, it is predominantly tourists who come to see them, not local people. This essay will examine the reasons for this before suggesting some possible methods of attracting local people.
• The main factor is the different motivations of tourists and local people. For a tourist, the aim when visiting another country, city or region, is to learn about that new place and possibly to understand its culture and history. Visiting historical sites and museums is an excellent way to do this. On the other hand, local people have often lived in the area for much of their lives, and have either learned this at school or understand it through personal experience. In addition, tourists are on holiday and have set aside time and money for these activities. However, local people may be too busy working and prefer to prioritise their spending on such things as school, shopping and socialising.
• Despite this, attendance of local people could be encouraged in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the perception of museums and historical sites could be changed by holding events at these places. For example, they could hold cultural festivals or galas for the community to celebrate a unique aspect of that particular place. Another possibility is to have special promotions, such as a reduced price or free tickets provided in local newspapers and magazines. Related to this, concession cards could also be provided to local people so they are encouraged to come more regularly.
• In conclusion, tourists have different motivating factors to local people, which accounts for the reasons that they are more likely to visit museums and historical sites. That said, it is possible to encourage attendance by local people through cultural events and promotions.