Travel and transportation How easy is it to travel around your country?

Question 10: How can the tourism industry balance the economic benefits of tourism with the environmental impact?

• 
  Introduction: Introduce the need for balancing economic benefits and environmental impact in the tourism industry: "The tourism industry faces the challenge of striking a balance between economic gains and the preservation of the environment."
  
• 
  Discuss sustainable practices: "Firstly, adopting sustainable tourism practices can minimize the negative environmental impact, such as reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and supporting eco-friendly accommodations."
  
• 
  Mention responsible tourism: "Secondly, promoting responsible tourism initiatives can encourage tourists to respect local cultures, support local businesses, and minimize disruptions to delicate ecosystems."
  
• 
  Talk about community involvement: "Moreover, involving local communities in tourism planning and decision-making ensures that economic benefits are shared, leading to more sustainable and inclusive tourism practices." The UK has a large train network connecting cities and towns around the country – for example, it takes just over two hours to travel by train from London to Cardiff, and just over four hours from London to Edinburgh.
  
• 
  Anyone aged 16-25, and full-time students of any age, can apply for a 16-25 railcard that allows you to save a third on rail travel throughout the UK. There is also a 26-30 railcard available to cater to this age bracket which offers the same benefits.
  
• 
  You can also get big discounts on train fares if you book in advance or with some group or season tickets.
  
• 
  See National Rail for more details.
  
• 
  
  
• 
  Underground and Metro networks
  
• 
  London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Tyne and Wear all have underground rail systems.
  
• 
  Travellers on the London Underground (often referred to as the ‘Tube’) can save money with a top-up Oyster card. Add pay-as-you go credit as and when you need it or buy a weekly, monthly or annual travel card. You can also get a Student Oyster card, and even add a 16–25 Railcard or 26-30 railcard to your Oyster card, to get further discounts including a third-off all off-peak travel within the network. Ask a member of staff at your local Underground station to manually ‘merge’ your Oyster card and your railcard to receive these discounts. Other cities also have top-up, pay-as-you-go and student cards.
  
•