It is suggested that instead of bridging chasms between different cultures, global tourism has, in fact, created wider rifts. While the statement may be true to some extent, visiting other countries remains the most effective way to dissolve stereotypical opinions.
First of all, it is undeniable that preconceptions are often compounded by the behaviour demonstrated by many tourists, and there are multiple examples proving this point. For instance, Chinese tourists have a notorious reputation for being chaotic in public areas and disrespectful towards other religions, such as the shameful incident of a Chinese tourist craving characters on the Wailing Wall in Israel, which sparked an international outcry. Such ill-mannered acts done by visitors worsened local residents’ impressions of not just those individuals but also the nation they represented. In this way, the host country became hostile, and the foreign travellers who sensed the unfriendliness responded with the same bitterness.
However, it is also true that the majority have converted their discriminatory thoughts to sincere admiration through travel. Take the example of myself. After visiting many Islamic nations, namely Oman, the UAE, and Jordan, and being surprised by the hosts’ congeniality, my once utterly lopsided opinions about the Arab world changed enormously, despite occasional unhappy moments, and I started to learn more about Islamic culture and society, trying to reformulate a fairer view. Furthermore, the same happened to a great deal of people who held similar beliefs as mine—that only by immersing ourselves in a culture could we understand it better. That said, although challenges exist, tourists can still learn a lot from dissimilar cultures and rectify their existing misunderstandings.
To conclude, even though there are numerous cases telling us that international tourism is capable of generating resentment, we shall not ignore the more conspicuous advantages that travel brings to the world.