International tourism has gained apparent popularity over the past few decades. Despite the criticisms that it may lead to problems like excess energy consumption and environmental pollutions, I would argue that this trend is beneficial both to the tourists and to the destination countries.
First of all, visiting other countries is a good way for individuals to expand your visions and eliminate biases. Only by being on site can you better appreciate the beauty of those world-renowned heritages. For instance, if I had not been to the palace museum in Beijing and seen the artifacts myself with the commentary from local guides, I wouldn’t have discovered the delicacy and the detailed history behind each fabulous work. Similarly, via traveling abroad and talking to the local people, people can have a better understanding of the local cultures, like the real lifestyles of ordinary people, what their values are. This can be extremely helpful in terms of building your own views on the world and getting rid of prejudice, rather than relying on what the media often portrayed or mispresented.
Further and more importantly, international travels can help boom the economy of destination countries as well as promoting their cultures. Many tourist attractions are located in developing nations where a great proportion of the population are still living in poverty. If more visitors choose to spend their vacations in these countries, local industries related to tourism will definitely be benefited, be it real estate, catering services, or even souvenir production, which help improve the income level of local people to a great extent. Moreover, the good parts of the local culture can be exposed to more people from the world and thus encouraging even more visitors to come. Japan is a salient example of this as it is recognized by many of the tourists of its cleanliness, anime culture and unique aesthetics.
By way of conclusion, the trend of international tourism is promising to so many countries not only because of the value it offers to tourists, but also the great benefits it brings to destination countries.