Breaking News English Lesson: Over-tourism

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Over-tourism threatens Mt. Fuji's world heritage status (11th September 2023)

The Reading / Listening - Over-tourism - Level 6

Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is under threat due to over-tourism. The iconic peak was listed as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist boom, and many visitors are making a beeline for Fuji-san's climbing trails. Mt. Fuji is so sacred in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives. The burgeoning number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is strewn across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore on the mountain's once-pristine habitat.

A local official told reporters that: "Fuji faces a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is screaming in pain. We can't just wait for improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent jump in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this summer. Another headache for local authorities is "bullet climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend and descend Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a respite from further damage.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Over-tourism - Level 4 or Over-tourism - Level 5

Sources

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14978598
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08/02/japan/warn-mt-fuji-climbing-visitors/
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230616/p2a/00m/0na/008000c

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. TOURISM: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about tourism. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
Mt. Fuji / UNESCO / heritage / over-tourism / tourists / boom / climbers / eyesore /
crisis / unattractive / screaming / pain / headache / altitude sickness / hypothermia
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. TOURISM LIMIT: Students A strongly believe the number of tourists should be limited at tourist spots; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. OVER-TOURISM: What problems does over-tourism cause? How can we deal with them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Problems	Mitigation
Nature
Greenhouse gasses
Traffic
Local population
Public transport
Trash

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. THREAT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "threat". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. WORLD HERITAGE SITES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best ones at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Mt. Fuji
Machu Picchu
Great Barrier Reef
Great Wall of China
Grand Canyon
Petra
Angkor Wat
Taj Mahal

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	iconic	a.	A sharp increase in the magnitude or amount of something.
2.	peak	b.	About a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of respect.
3.	spike	c.	Hurry directly towards.
4.	make a beeline for	d.	Connected with God or a god, or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving great respect.
5.	sacred	e.	The pointed top of a mountain.
6.	burgeoning	f.	In its original condition; unspoilt.
7.	pristine	g.	Beginning to grow or increase rapidly.

Paragraph 2

8.	crisis	h.	Make determined efforts to deal with a problem or difficult task.
9.	tackle	i.	The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
10.	ascend	j.	A time of intense difficulty or danger.
11.	descend	k.	Climb to the summit of a mountain or hill.
12.	altitude	l.	The condition of having an abnormally (usually typically) low body temperature.
13.	hypothermia	m.	Of a road, path, or flight of steps that lead downwards.
14.	respite	n.	A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

Mt. Fuji has been a World Heritage site for over two decades. T / F
The article says many tourists are following bees up Mt. Fuji. T / F
The article says Mt. Fuji is sacred to many Japanese people. T / F
Car parks for tourists have been built on Mt. Fuji. T / F
A local official said tourism on Mt. Fuji is controllable. T / F
A local official said Mt. Fuji was screaming in pain. T / F
People who are called "bullet climbers" are getting lots of headaches. T / F
People cannot climb Mt. Fuji until next year. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

status
spike
boom
burgeoning
eyesore
crisis
tackle
headache
ascend
respite

disaster
upturn
climb
ugly sight
standing
break
sudden rise
deal with
growing rapidly
problem

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

The iconic peak was listed
Japan is experiencing a post-covid
The burgeoning number of
Litter is strewn
an eyesore on the mountain's once-
Fuji faces a real
we need to tackle
Another headache
They risk getting altitude
giving Fuji a respite

tourist boom
sickness
crisis
as a world heritage site
from further damage
across the volcanic ash
for local authorities
pristine habitat
over-tourism now
climbers

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

strewn
listed
sacred
habitat
under
lots
burgeoning
boom

Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is (1) _____________________ threat due to over-tourism. The iconic peak was (2) _____________________ as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist (3) _____________________, and many visitors are making a beeline for Fuji-san's climbing trails. Mt. Fuji is so (4) _____________________ in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives. The (5) _____________________ number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is (6) _____________________ across the volcanic ash, and large parking (7) _____________________ have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore on the mountain's once-pristine (8) _____________________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

bullet
fear
tackle
respite
crisis
descend
jump
screaming

A local official told reporters that: "Fuji faces a real (9) _____________________. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we (10) _____________________ that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is (11) _____________________ in pain. We can't just wait for improvement; we need to (12) _____________________ over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent (13) _____________________ in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this summer. Another headache for local authorities is "(14) _____________________ climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend and (15) _____________________ Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a (16) _____________________ from further damage.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status ______
     a. asunder threat
     b. is under treat
     c. is under threat
     d. asunder treat
2) However, a spike in the number of tourists scaling ______
     a. the majestic mountain
     b. the major stick mountain
     c. the magisterial mountain
     d. the majesty mountain
3) many visitors are making a beeline for ______
     a. Fuji-san's climbing trials
     b. Fuji-san's climbing trolls
     c. Fuji-san's climbing toils
     d. Fuji-san's climbing trails
4) The burgeoning number of climbers is causing environmental damage ______
     a. on the slopes
     b. on the slurps
     c. on the slips
   d. on the slaps
5) These are an eyesore on the mountain's ______
     a. once-pressed inhabitant
     b. ones-pristine habitation
     c. once-pristine habitat
     d. ones- pressed inhabitant

6) A local official told reporters that Fuji faces ______
     a. a real crises
     b. a role crisis
     c. a rail crisis
     d. a real crisis
7) We can't just wait for improvement; we need to ______
     a. trickle over-tourism
     b. tackle over-tourism
     c. tack all over-tourism
     d. take all over-tourism
8) The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent ______
     a. jumping visitors
     b. jump pin visitors
     c. jump in visitors
     d. jam pin visitors
9) Another headache for local authorities ______
     a. is "bullet climbers
     b. is "pull it climbers
     c. is "bully climbers
     d. is "bull it climbers
10) The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving ______
     a. Fuji a respite
     b. Fuji a despite
     c. Fuji a in spite
     d. Fuji are spite

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status (1) ___________________ due to over-tourism. The iconic (2) ____________________ as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing. Japan is experiencing a post- (3) ____________________, and many visitors are making a beeline for Fuji-san's climbing trails. Mt. Fuji is (4) ____________________ Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives. The burgeoning number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. (5) ____________________ across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore on the mountain's (6) ____________________.

A local official told reporters that: "Fuji (7) ____________________ crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is (8) ____________________. We can't just wait for improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's (9) ____________________ has seen a 50 per cent jump in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this summer. Another headache for local authorities (10) ____________________. These are people who attempt to (11) ____________________ Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a (12) ____________________ damage.

Comprehension questions

When did Mt. Fuji become a UNESCO World Heritage site?
What kind of boom does the article say Japan is experiencing?
What are people making a beeline for?
What is strewn across the volcanic ash?
What does the article say the once-pristine habitat has become?
What did a local official say Mt. Fuji faces?
What did the local official say Fuji is doing?
How many visitors did Mt. Fuji get in 2013?
What are people called who go up and down Mt. Fuji in 24 hours?
What do climbers risk getting if they climb Mt. Fuji too quickly?

Multiple choice quiz

1) When did Mt. Fuji become a UNESCO World Heritage sight?
a) 2012
b) 2013
c) 2014
d) 2015
2) What kind of boom does the article say Japan is experiencing?
a) a mountain-climbing boom
b) a sonic boom
c) a boom in beelines
d) a post-covid tourist boom
3) What are people making a beeline for?
a) Fuji-san's climbing trails
b) a honey shop at the foot of Mt. Fuji
c) hiking shops
d) huts on Mt. Fuji
4) What is strewn across the volcanic ash?
a) discarded tents
b) cigarette butts
c) litter
d) unwanted rainwear
5) What does the article say the once-pristine habitat has become?
a) an earache
b) an eyesore
c) a heartbreak
d) a no-brainer

6) What did a local official say Mt. Fuji faces?
a) poor weather
b) closure
c) a real crisis
d) serious damage
7) What did the local official say Fuji is doing?
a) surviving
b) remaining beautiful
c) singing with joy
d) screaming in pain
8) How many visitors did Mt. Fuji get in 2013?
a) about four million
b) exactly four million
c) fewer than four million
d) about four million
9) What are people called who go up and down Mt. Fuji in 24 hours?
a) bullet climbers
b) one-day climbers
c) all-day climbers
d) midnight climbers
10) What do climbers risk getting if they climb Mt. Fuji too quickly?
a) bad knees and bad backs
b) altitude sickness (and hypothermia)
c) headaches (and dizziness)
d) the bends

Role play

Role A – Mt. Fuji
You think Mt. Fuji is the best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Great Barrier Reef, Grand Canyon or Taj Mahal.

Role B – Great Barrier Reef
You think the Great Barrier Reef is the best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Mt. Fuji, Grand Canyon or Taj Mahal.

Role C – Grand Canyon
You think the Grand Canyon is the best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Great Barrier Reef, Mt. Fuji or Taj Mahal.

Role D – Taj Mahal
You think the Taj Mahal is the best site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Great Barrier Reef, Grand Canyon or Mt. Fuji.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'tourism'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'heritage'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.

• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

•Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

due

spike

boom

hope

slopes

once

real

nobody

pain

headache

risk

official

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion - Over-tourism

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'tourism'?
What do you know about Mt. Fuji?
Would you like to climb Mt. Fuji?
What world heritage sites does your country have?
What do you think of tourists in your country?
What problems come with over-tourism?
What do you think of hiking up mountains?
What do you think when you see litter everywhere?
Should we limit the number of tourists who visit tourist sights?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'heritage'?
What do you think about what you read?
What are your favourite mountains?
What advice do you have for those climbing Mt. Fuji?
What kind of tourist are you?
What can authorities do about the over-tourism problem?
Do you prefer mountains or beaches?
What do you know about altitude sickness and hypothermia?
What questions would you like to ask the local official?

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

Japan's Mt Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is (1) ____ threat due to over-tourism. The iconic (2) ____ was listed as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is (3) ____ that listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist boom, and many visitors are making a beeline for Fuji-san's climbing (4) ____. Mt. Fuji is so sacred in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives. The burgeoning number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is (5) ____ across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an (6) ____ on the mountain's once-pristine habitat.

A local official told reporters that: "Fuji (7) ____ a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear that Mt Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is screaming (8) ____ pain. We can't just wait for improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent jump (9) ____ visitors since 2013, with about 4 million visitors this summer. Another (10) ____ for local authorities is "bullet climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend and descend Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting (11) ____ sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a (12) ____ from further damage.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) undue (b) cover (c) over (d) under
(a) pike (b) poke (c) perk (d) peak
(a) threatens (b) threatening (c) threatened (d) threaten
(a) trials (b) thrills (c) trails (d) trolls
(a) stowed (b) stewed (c) strewn (d) straw
(a) eyesore (b) earshot (c) earache (d) armful
(a) profiles (b) faces (c) skulls (d) heads
(a) in (b) on (c) at (d) by
(a) at (b) in (c) on (d) of
(a) backache (b) toothache (c) headache (d) stomachache
(a) height (b) elevation (c) altitude (d) loftiness
(a) despite (b) spite (c) in spite (d) respite

Spelling

Paragraph 1

scaling the jaisecmt mountain
making a ineeebl for Fuji-san's climbing trails
Mt. Fuji is so rdaesc in Japan
The unbgogienr number of climbers
constructed to aomcdatcome tourists
the mountain's once-nsptriie habitat

Paragraph 2

become so vtataeucnrti
we need to lkceat over-tourism now
Another headache for local uitrheoiast
ascend and snecedd Fuji
getting altitude sickness and oyaephhrmti
giving Fuji a tperise from further damage

Put the text back together

( 1 ) Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is under threat due to over-tourism. The iconic
(...)   summer. Another headache for local authorities is "bullet climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend
(...)   and descend Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official
(...)   in pain. We can't just wait for improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base
(...)   climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a respite from further damage.
(...)   sacred in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives. The burgeoning number
(...)   station has seen a 50 per cent jump in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this
(...)   boom, and many visitors are making a beeline for Fuji-san's climbing trails. Mt. Fuji is so
(...)   that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is screaming
(...)   peak was listed as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spike in the number of tourists
(...)   lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore on the mountain's once-pristine habitat.
(...)   of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is strewn across the volcanic ash, and large parking
(...)   A local official told reporters that: "Fuji faces a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear
(...)   scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist

Put the words in the right order

scaling that mountain the is listing . threatening Tourists
tourist experiencing is Japan post-covid boom . a
damage . number burgeoning of climbers causing The environmental
tourists . to lots accommodate been Parking have constructed
on the once-pristine mountain's They're an eyesore habitat .
fear unattractive . become that We Mt. Fuji soon will
Fuji-san that added screaming is pain . in He
authorities bullet climbers . for headache is local Another
sickness altitude hypothermia . risk getting and They
official season on The ended Sunday . climbing

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Japan's Mt. Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage status is under / over threat due to over-tourism. The iconic peak was enlisted / listed as a world heritage site in 2013. However, a spoke / spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that / their listing. Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist boom, and many visitors are making a beeline / hairline for Fuji-san's climbing trails / trials. Mt. Fuji is so sacred in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in / on their lives. The burgeoning number of climbers is causing / causal environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is strewn across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to house / accommodate tourists. These are an eyesore on the mountain's once-pristine habit / habitat.

A local / locally official told reporters that: "Fuji faces a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we afraid / fear that Mt. Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would / should want to climb it." He added: "Fuji-san is screaming on / in pain. We can't just wait for / to improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now." The mountain's fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent jump on / in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this summer. Another backache / headache for local authorities is "bullet climbers". These are people who attempt to ascend and rescind / descend Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting / gotten altitude sickness and hypothermia. The official climbing season ended on Sunday, giving Fuji a respite to / from further damage.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

J_p_n's Mt. F_j_'s _N_SC_ W_rld H_r_t_g_ st_t_s _s _nd_r thr__t d__ t_ _v_r-t__r_sm. Th_ _c_n_c p__k w_s l_st_d _s _ w_rld h_r_t_g_ s_t_ _n 2013. H_w_v_r, _ sp_k_ _n th_ n_mb_r _f t__r_sts sc_l_ng th_ m_j_st_c m__nt__n _s thr__t_n_ng th_t l_st_ng. J_p_n _s _xp_r__nc_ng _ p_st-c_v_d t__r_st b__m, _nd m_ny v_s_t_rs _r_ m_k_ng _ b__l_n_ f_r F_j_-s_n's cl_mb_ng tr__ls. Mt. F_j_ _s s_ s_cr_d _n J_p_n th_t m_ny J_p_n_s_ h_p_ t_ cl_mb _t _t l__st _nc_ _n th__r l_v_s. Th_ b_rg__n_ng n_mb_r _f cl_mb_rs _s c__s_ng _nv_r_nm_nt_l d_m_g_ _n th_ sl_p_s. L_tt_r _s str_wn _cr_ss th_ v_lc_n_c _sh, _nd l_rg_ p_rk_ng l_ts h_v_ b__n c_nstr_ct_d t_ _cc_mm_d_t_ t__r_sts. Th_s_ _r_ _n _y_s_r_ _n th_ m__nt__n's _nc_-pr_st_n_ h_b_t_t.

_ l_c_l _ff_c__l t_ld r_p_rt_rs th_t: "F_j_ f_c_s _ r__l cr_s_s. T__r_sm h_s b_c_m_ _nc_ntr_ll_bl_, _nd w_ f__r th_t Mt. F_j_ w_ll s__n b_c_m_ s_ _n_ttr_ct_v_, n_b_dy w__ld w_nt t_ cl_mb _t." H_ _dd_d: "F_j_-s_n _s scr__m_ng _n p__n. W_ c_n't j_st w__t f_r _mpr_v_m_nt; w_ n__d t_ t_ckl_ _v_r-t__r_sm n_w." Th_ m__nt__n's f_fth b_s_ st_t__n h_s s__n _ 50 p_r c_nt j_mp _n v_s_t_rs s_nc_ 2013, w_th _b__t f__r m_ll__n v_s_t_rs th_s s_mm_r. _n_th_r h__d_ch_ f_r l_c_l __th_r_t__s _s "b_ll_t cl_mb_rs". Th_s_ _r_ p__pl_ wh_ _tt_mpt t_ _sc_nd _nd d_sc_nd F_j_ _n 24 h__rs. Th_y r_sk g_tt_ng _lt_t_d_ s_ckn_ss _nd hyp_th_rm__. Th_ _ff_c__l cl_mb_ng s__s_n _nd_d _n S_nd_y, g_v_ng F_j_ _ r_sp_t_ fr_m f_rth_r d_m_g_.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

japans Mt Fujis unesco world heritage status is under threat due to overtourism the iconic peak was listed as a world heritage site in 2013 however a spike in the number of tourists scaling the majestic mountain is threatening that listing japan is experiencing a postcovid tourist boom and many visitors are making a beeline for fujisans climbing trails Mt. Fuji is so sacred in japan that many japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives the burgeoning number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes litter is strewn across the volcanic ash and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists these are an eyesore on the mountains oncepristine habitat

a local official told reporters that fuji faces a real crisis tourism has become uncontrollable and we fear that Mt Fuji will soon become so unattractive nobody would want to climb it he added fujisan is screaming in pain we cant just wait for improvement we need to tackle overtourism now the mountains fifth base station has seen a 50 per cent jump in visitors since 2013 with about four million visitors this summer another headache for local authorities is bullet climbers these are people who attempt to ascend and descend fuji in 24 hours they risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia the official climbing season ended on sunday giving fuji a respite from further damage

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Japan'sMt.Fuji'sUNESCOWorldHeritagestatusisunderthreatduetoov
er-tourism.Theiconicpeakwaslistedasaworldheritagesitein2013.H
owever,aspikeinthenumberoftouristsscalingthemajesticmountainis
threateningthatlisting.Japanisexperiencingapost-covidtouristboo
m,andmanyvisitorsaremakingabeelineforFuji-san'sclimbingtrail
s.Mt.FujiissosacredinJapanthatmanyJapanesehopetoclimbitatleast
onceintheirlives.Theburgeoningnumbersofclimbersiscausingenviro
nmentaldamageontheslopes.Litterisstrewnacrossthevolcanicash,a
ndlargeparkinglotshavebeenconstructedtoaccommodatetourists.T
heseareaneyesoreonthemountain'sonce-pristinehabitat.Alocaloff
icialtoldreportersthat:"Fujifacesarealcrisis.Tourismhasbecomeunco
ntrollable,andwefearthatMt.Fujiwillsoonbecomesounattractive,nob
odywouldwanttoclimbit."Headded:"Fuji-sanisscreaminginpain.Wec
an'tjustwaitforimprovement;weneedtotackleover-tourismnow."Th
emountain'sfifthbasestationhasseena50percentjumpinvisitorssince
2013,withaboutfourmillionvisitorsthissummer.Anotherheadachefor
localauthoritiesis"bulletclimbers".Thesearepeoplewhoattempttoasc
endanddescendFujiin24hours.Theyriskgettingaltitudesicknessandh
ypothermia.TheofficialclimbingseasonendedonSunday,givingFujiar
espitefromfurtherdamage.

Free writing

Write about climbing Mt. Fuji for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

Limits should be put on the number of tourists visiting famous sights. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Homework

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. TOURISM: Make a poster about tourism. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. TOURISM LIMITS: Write a magazine article about putting limits on the number of tourists that can visit famous sights. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on tourism. Ask him/her three questions about tourism. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to deal with over-tourism. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

$US 9.99

Answers

(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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Breaking News English Lesson: Over-tourism

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