| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
Emerging Tourist Destinations
A. The rise of emerging economies marks the third revolution the travel industry has undergone in the past 50 years. The first came in the 1960s, in the shape of cheap air travel and package tours. Rising incomes enabled people of modest means to travel more, to farther-flung parts of the globe, and to take advantage of “all-in” offers that may have included sightseeing trips, scuba diving or camel rides. The second was the advent of the internet, which has allowed millions to book flights, hotels, hire cars and package tours without going near a high-street travel agent.
B. Now fast-growing emerging economies-not just Dubai but also the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and others, such as South Korea and Vietnam-are changing the world of travel once again, either as destinations or as sources of newly affluent travellers. Often, citizens of these countries are visiting similar, emerging lands. Last year, for example, Russians made a total of 34.3m trips abroad, up from 29.1m in 2006. Turkey was their most popular destination, followed by China and Egypt. The Chinese head the table of visitors to Vietnam.
C. The WTTC claims that travel and tourism is the world's biggest industry in terms of its contribution to global GDP and employment. The lobby group forecasts that global travel and tourism will account for $5.9 trillion of economic activity in 2008, or about 10% of global GDP, employing 238m people. It expects employment to rise to 296m in the next decade. In fact, assessing the scale of the industry is not straightforward. When all travel and tourism is lumped together, so that everything from airlines to cafes counts, it is no surprise that the WTTC's total is so large. As a rule, restaurants do not record whether they are serving tourists, business travellers or locals out for a meal.
D. For the next year or two, the travel industry is likely to find its long-standing customers in rich Western countries a less than reliable source of growth. As American families plan their holidays, many will be worrying about the frailty of their country's economy, the rising cost of petrol and-for those venturing outside the United States-the weakness of the dollar. They are delaying booking in the hope of nabbing cheap, last-minute deals. They certainly seem to be spending less. On May 7th Orbitz, an American online travel-firm, posted a first-quarter net loss of $15m compared with a net loss of $10m a year earlier. The majority of its business is domestic bookings, which were 6% lower in the first quarter than a year earlier, at $2.4 billion.
E. For faster growth, the industry will have to look to emerging economies. These are becoming increasingly well established as places to visit. Now they are starting to provide more visitors too. According to McKinsey, a consulting firm, by the middle of the next decade almost a billion people will see their annual household incomes rise beyond $5,000-roughly the threshold for spending money on discretionary goods and services rather than simple necessities. Consumers' spending power in emerging economies will rise from $4 trillion in 2006 to more than $9 trillion-nearly the spending power of western Europe today.
F. Some of that extra purchasing power will go on travel, at home and abroad. Western companies are flocking into the developing world to prepare for these new tourists. “The Middle East, India and China are the next big thing,” predicts Bill Marriott, the chairman and chief executive of Marriott, an American hotel chain. He thinks that the industry will be bigger in the Middle East, where he is planning to build 65 hotels by 2011, than in India. China will dwarf even the Middle East.
G. Last year the number of visits abroad by the Chinese reached 47m, 5m more than the number of foreign visitors to China. The Chinese also made 1.6 billion trips at home-a staggering total, but not much more than one each. According to WTTC forecasts, Chinese demand for travel and tourism will quadruple in value in the next ten years. At present China ranks a distant second, behind the United States, in terms of demand, but by 2018 it will have closed much of the gap.
H. Other emerging economies have woken up to the spending power of Chinese tourists. Mexico is one: AeroMexico will begin direct flights between Mexico City and Shanghai at the end of May. The plan is to fly twice a week. In Vietnam, home to one of the fastest-growing tourist industries in the world, Chinese and other Asian tourists are overtaking Westerners. In the first 11 months of last year 507,000 visitors came to Vietnam from China, along with 442,000 from South Korea and 376,000 from America. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is also counting on more Chinese custom. It forecasts that 1.3m Chinese will visit the country this year, 10% more than last year when visitors were put off by Thailand's unsettled politics.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Understanding what 'domestic bookings' means and linking it to 'do not travel abroad'.
Correct Answer: TRUE
Why this is correct: The passage clearly says the majority of its business is domestic bookings. Domestic means travel inside the country, not abroad. So most Orbitz customers do not travel abroad.
Passage Reference: They certainly seem to be spending less. On May 7th Orbitz, an American online travel-firm, posted a first-quarter net loss of $15m compared with a net loss of $10m a year earlier. The majority of its business is domestic bookings, which were 6% lower in the first quarter than a year earlier, at $2.4 billion.
Common Mistake: Some students hesitate because the passage does not directly say 'do not travel abroad'. But domestic bookings clearly mean travel within the country. Missing this link is a Paraphrase trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'domestic bookings' = Statement: 'do not travel abroad'
Tips: Always stop and translate key words like domestic into simple meaning before deciding TRUE or FALSE.
Key Vocabulary:
- domestic = inside one country
- majority = most
Question Focus: Checking numbers and time reference carefully.
Correct Answer: FALSE
Passage Reference: According to McKinsey, a consulting firm, by the middle of the next decade almost a billion people will see their annual household incomes rise beyond $5,000-roughly the threshold for spending money on discretionary goods and services rather than simple necessities.
Why this is correct: The passage says by the middle of the next decade, not next year. It also says incomes rise beyond $5,000, not $5,000 more. This directly contradicts the statement.
Common Mistake: Students often focus only on the number 'a billion people' and miss the time and amount details. This is a Time/tense trap and a Partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'by the middle of the next decade... rise beyond $5,000' = Statement: 'next year... receive $5,000 more income'
Tips: Check dates and numbers very carefully. Small changes often mean FALSE.
Key Vocabulary:
- threshold = minimum level
- discretionary = not essential
Question Focus: Separating predictions from exact numbers.
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: 'The Middle East, India and China are the next big thing,' predicts Bill Marriott, the chairman and chief executive of Marriott, an American hotel chain. He thinks that the industry will be bigger in the Middle East, where he is planning to build 65 hotels by 2011, than in India. China will dwarf even the Middle East.
Why this is correct: The passage gives 65 hotels in the Middle East but gives no number for China. It says China will be bigger, but it does not say how many hotels Bill Marriott plans to build there.
Common Mistake: Students assume 'China will dwarf even the Middle East' means more hotels. That is an assumption. This is a Not Given trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'China will dwarf even the Middle East' = Statement: 'build more hotels in China'
Tips: Do not guess numbers. If the passage does not give exact information, choose NOT GIVEN.
Key Vocabulary:
- dwarf = be much bigger
- predicts = says about the future
Question Focus: Looking for comparison across two years.
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: Last year the number of visits abroad by the Chinese reached 47m, 5m more than the number of foreign visitors to China.
Why this is correct: The passage compares Chinese trips abroad with foreign visitors to China, not with the previous year. It never compares last year with the year before.
Common Mistake: Students see '5m more' and assume it refers to last year versus the year before. This is a Context shift trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: '5m more than the number of foreign visitors to China' = Statement: '5m more than the year before'
Tips: Always ask: 'More than what?' Check exactly what two things are being compared.
Key Vocabulary:
- overseas = abroad
- foreign = from another country
Question Focus: Recognising future prediction and synonym match.
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: According to WTTC forecasts, Chinese demand for travel and tourism will quadruple in value in the next ten years.
Why this is correct: The phrase will quadruple in value means it will become four times larger. The time period in the next ten years matches in the next decade.
Common Mistake: Some students miss the word quadruple or do not know its meaning. That causes doubt. This is a Synonym match.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'will quadruple in value in the next ten years' = Statement: 'will become four times larger in the next decade'
Tips: Learn common number words like double, triple, and quadruple. They appear often in IELTS.
Key Vocabulary:
- quadruple = become four times bigger
- forecast = prediction
Question Focus: Checking who the visitors are.
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: The Tourism Authority of Thailand is also counting on more Chinese custom. It forecasts that 1.3m Chinese will visit the country this year, 10% more than last year when visitors were put off by Thailand's unsettled politics.
Why this is correct: The passage says 10% more Chinese visitors, not 10% more visitors in total. It does not give information about all visitors.
Common Mistake: Students ignore the word Chinese and think it means all tourists. This is a Partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: '10% more Chinese will visit' = Statement: '10% more visitors'
Tips: Pay attention to groups like nationalities. One group does not mean everyone.
Key Vocabulary:
- forecast = predict
- custom = customers
Question Focus: Identifying wrong destination.
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: Mexico is one: AeroMexico will begin direct flights between Mexico City and Shanghai at the end of May. The plan is to fly twice a week.
Why this is correct: The passage mentions Shanghai, not Vietnam. It also gives a start time of the end of May, not within two years. Vietnam is discussed separately.
Common Mistake: Students connect AeroMexico with Vietnam because both appear in the same paragraph. This is a Wrong section trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'flights between Mexico City and Shanghai' = Statement: 'flights to Vietnam'
Tips: Always double-check place names. Similar topics can hide different details.
Key Vocabulary:
- direct flights = no stop
- begin = start
General Tips:
- TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the previous answer location to help you find the next one faster.
- To choose between FALSE and NOT GIVEN, ask: does the passage clearly say the opposite? If not, choose NOT GIVEN.
- Do not use your own knowledge. Only use what is written in the passage.
- Be careful with numbers, time expressions, and groups of people. These are common IELTS traps.
The rest of this explanation is for members. Sign in free to read why the other options are wrong, key words and tips.
Sign in to read the full explanation