EigoPro 準1級 読解 — The Business of Travel

Few industries are celebrated as unambiguously beneficial as tourism. Governments court it as a painless engine of growth: it generates foreign currency, creates jobs that demand little capital investment, and showcases a nation's heritage to the world. For developing economies in particular, a steady stream of visitors can seem like a shortcut to prosperity, transforming a quiet coastline or an ancient temple into a reliable source of revenue. Yet the ledger of mass tourism, examined closely, is far more ambiguous than the brochures suggest. The first paradox lies in who actually profits. Much of what a foreign visitor spends never reaches the host community at all. International hotel chains, airlines, and tour operators—frequently owned abroad—capture the lion's share, a phenomenon economists call "leakage." A traveller may pay handsomely for an all-inclusive package, yet the local economy sees only the wages of underpaid staff and the thin margins of souvenir stalls. The destination bears the costs—congestion, inflated property prices, strained water and waste systems—while the profits drain elsewhere. A second paradox is self-defeating success. The very qualities that draw crowds—tranquillity, authenticity, an unspoiled view—are precisely what crowds destroy. Venice and Barcelona have become emblems of "overtourism," their residents driven out by soaring rents and streets so thronged that ordinary life becomes impossible. A destination that markets itself too well can consume the asset it was selling. None of this argues for shuttering the industry. Rather, it suggests that tourism should be measured not by the sheer number of arrivals but by the value retained locally and the burden imposed on residents. The smartest destinations are no longer chasing volume; they are learning, belatedly, to manage it.

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この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

準1級 · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What is the main idea of the passage?

  • Venice and Barcelona are the only two cities that have ever suffered from overtourism.
  • International hotel chains are legally obliged to return their profits to local communities.
  • Mass tourism is far more economically and socially ambiguous than its reputation as a painless source of growth implies.
  • Tourism should be abolished in developing economies because it never benefits the host country.
Phrase

the ledger of mass tourism, examined closely, is far more ambiguous than the brochures suggest

準1級読解経済オピニオン主旨把握
⚡ひとことで

本文の論旨は「観光は無害な成長エンジンに見えて、実は経済的・社会的に曖昧で代償も大きい」。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Mass tourism is far more economically and socially ambiguous than its reputation as a painless source of growth implies.」

正解

本文は (1) 観光は無害な成長エンジンとして称賛される→ (2) しかし利益の漏出 (leakage) と (3) 自滅的成功 (overtourism) という二つの逆説→ (4) だから到着数でなく地元に残る価値で測れ、という構成。冒頭の『the ledger ... is far more ambiguous than the brochures suggest』が論旨を凝縮しており、これを言い換えた選択肢が主旨。

  • 「Tourism should be abolished in the developing economies because it never benefits the host country at all.」

    = 観光は廃止すべき/全く益がない ━ 最終段で『None of this argues for shuttering the industry』と廃止を明確に否定しており逆。

  • 「Venice and Barcelona are the only two cities」

    = ベニスとバルセロナだけが過密被害 ━ 両都市は overtourism の『象徴 (emblems)』として挙げた例にすぎず、唯一とは述べていない。

  • 「legally obliged to return their profits」

    = 法的に利益還元を義務付けられている ━ そのような法的義務の記述は本文にない。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
a painless engine of growth無害な成長エンジンcourt it as a painless engine of growth
a shortcut to prosperity繁栄への近道seem like a shortcut to prosperity
a source of revenue収入源a reliable source of revenue
examine ~ closely~を詳しく検討するexamined closely
far more ambiguous than ~~よりはるかに曖昧more ambiguous than the brochures suggest
❝例文

  • Governments court tourism as a painless engine of growth.

    政府は観光を無害な成長エンジンとして誘致する。

  • Examined closely, the figures are far more ambiguous.

    詳しく見ると、その数字ははるかに曖昧だ。

  • A temple can become a reliable source of revenue.

    寺院が安定した収入源になりうる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問は冒頭の『譲歩+逆接 (Yet ...)』構文を探すと速い。本文は『観光は称賛される。Yet 実態は曖昧だ』が骨格で、Yet 以降に著者の主張が来る。

問 2

According to the passage, what does the term "leakage" describe?

  • The decline in souvenir sales when prices rise too steeply.
  • The way much of a visitor's spending ends up with foreign-owned companies rather than the host community.
  • The gradual loss of tourists to rival destinations over time.
  • The damage that overcrowding inflicts on water and waste systems.
Phrase

International hotel chains, airlines, and tour operators ... capture the lion's share, a phenomenon economists call "leakage."

準1級読解経済オピニオン詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

leakage = 訪問客の支出の多くが海外資本に流れ、地元に届かない現象。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「The way much of a visitor's spending ends up with foreign-owned companies rather than the host community.」

正解

第2段で『Much of what a foreign visitor spends never reaches the host community at all』と述べ、海外所有のホテル・航空・ツアー会社が大半を奪う現象を economists call "leakage" と定義する。よって『訪問客の支出の多くが地元でなく外資企業に渡る現象』が正解。

  • 「loss of tourists to rival destinations」

    = 競合地への観光客流出 ━ leakage は観光客の流出ではなく『お金の流出』を指す。意味のすり替え。

  • 「damage that overcrowding inflicts」

    = 過密による設備への損害 ━ それは destination が負う costs の話で、leakage の定義ではない。

  • 「decline in souvenir sales when prices rise」

    = 値上げによる土産売上減 ━ 本文にそのような記述はなく、土産は『薄利』とあるだけ。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
capture the lion's share大半を奪うoperators capture the lion's share
reach the host community地元社会に届くnever reaches the host community
pay handsomely for ~~に高額を払うpay handsomely for a package
thin margins薄い利幅the thin margins of stalls
drain elsewhere他所へ流出するthe profits drain elsewhere
❝例文

  • Foreign operators capture the lion's share of the revenue.

    外国の業者が収益の大半を奪う。

  • Much of the spending never reaches the host community.

    支出の多くは地元社会に届かない。

  • The profits drain elsewhere while costs stay local.

    費用は地元に残り、利益は他所へ流れる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

定義設問は引用符付きの専門語 ("leakage") の直前・直後を読む。本文は『現象の描写→a phenomenon economists call "X"』の語順で定義語が後置される型。

問 3

What does the passage say about the "self-defeating" nature of tourism's success?

  • Residents of popular cities generally welcome the rising rents that tourism brings.
  • Successful destinations always reinvest their profits to attract even more visitors.
  • The appealing qualities that attract crowds are themselves ruined by the crowds they draw.
  • Tranquil destinations remain unchanged no matter how many tourists arrive.
Phrase

The very qualities that draw crowds ... are precisely what crowds destroy.

準1級読解経済オピニオン詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

観光地を魅力的にする静けさ・本物らしさ・絶景こそ、群衆が破壊するもの。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「The appealing qualities that attract crowds are themselves ruined by the crowds they draw.」

正解

第3段は『The very qualities that draw crowds—tranquillity, authenticity, an unspoiled view—are precisely what crowds destroy』と述べ、『売り物にしすぎた観光地は売っていた資産を食い潰す』と結ぶ。つまり魅力が群衆を呼び、その群衆が魅力を壊す自滅構造。これを言い換えた選択肢が正解。

  • 「always reinvest their profits to attract even more」

    = 利益を再投資して更に集客 ━ 本文にない。むしろ成功が自らを損なうという話。

  • 「remain unchanged no matter how many tourists」

    = 観光客が何人来ても不変 ━ 群衆が静けさを破壊するという本文と正反対。

  • 「Residents of popular cities generally welcome the rising rents that tourism brings.」

    = 住民は家賃上昇を歓迎 ━ 住民は『soaring rents に追い出される (driven out)』とあり逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
draw crowds人を呼ぶthe qualities that draw crowds
an unspoiled view手つかずの眺めtranquillity and an unspoiled view
be driven out by ~~に追い出されるdriven out by soaring rents
an emblem of ~~の象徴emblems of overtourism
consume the asset資産を食い潰すconsume the asset it was selling
❝例文

  • The very qualities that draw crowds are destroyed by them.

    人を呼ぶ性質そのものが群衆に壊される。

  • Residents were driven out by soaring rents.

    住民は急騰する家賃に追い出された。

  • A destination can consume the asset it was selling.

    観光地は売っていた資産を食い潰しうる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

詳細設問は段落冒頭のトピック文 (A second paradox is self-defeating success.) を起点に、ダッシュ (—) 内の言い換えを正解の根拠に使う。

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