There is a growing public debate that tourism leads to conflicts between countries instead of helping people to better understand other cultures. I totally agree with this statement because tourists can disrespect traditions and cultural norms of other countries; however, it should be also emphasized that tourism helps individuals to better understand diverse cultures and increase their worldview.
The main reason why I believe that tourism creates conflicts among countries is because of the misbehavior of some tourists towards traditions, cultural heritage, and history of other countries. This is because some tourists have different values, and they think that showing respect in a foreign country is not important. For example, last month several Arab tourists showed disrespectful behavior in the “Martyr’s Alley” towards the graves of martyrs which resulted in political tensions between two countries. In addition to this, tourists can pollute the environment and damage cultural buildings. To illustrate, historical site of Baku which is called “Old City” is mostly visited by Arabian tourists in summer; however, local people are complaining that they are polluting streets and damaging historical buildings.
However, it should be also noted that tourism can lead to the increased worldview and help people to understand various cultures. The reason for this is that travelling is the best way to learn history and traditions. According to the latest research by ETH Zurich university, travelling and visiting historical places is 10 times more effective in learning history rather than reading through books.
In conclusion, I totally agree that developing tourism can lead to conflicts between nations. This is because not everyone can be respectful towards each other’s culture and traditions. However, I also admit that tourism is the best way to explore the world and become more educated.