Many people argue that as one of the world’s major industries, international tourism has facilitated cross-cultural understanding. However, some claim that this sector has paved the way for tensions to arise. From my point of view, I side with the view that international tourism helps promote peace rather than dispute between nations.
To start with, international travel allows understanding and friendship between nations to flourish. By experiencing life in other parts of the world and taking a closer look into the locals’ mindset through their cuisines and traditions, foreigners can respect and sympathize with the natives more. Furthermore, most hate starts from fear of the unknown. When people do not understand another race, they start to believe in false preconceptions, thus shunning people who do not share the . Through international tourism, this bias can be erased since people are given a glimpse into other cultures and it can help correct existing prejudices.
On the other hand, it is unfortunate that international travel, if done with ignorance, can create disputes between people from different countries. Every country the world over has their own customs and important to learn what the locals believe in. If a traveler does not conduct any research then it is very likely that the traveler can unintentionally , thus causing conflicts to arise. Take the “OK” sign as an one of the most common gestures throughout the world, yet its meaning varies between nations. While in America, the “OK” sign equals something positive and good, in Iran, it is an insult.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that international tourism can foster cross-cultural understanding rather than tensions due to its false preconceptions. Nevertheless, careless travelers may bring about disputes if they are not proactive in learning the culture of their destination.