21. Do the problems brought by international travel outweigh the advantages?

With the increasing public demands’ of visiting foreign countries for work and life, international travel has experienced the most rapid growth in number and scales in recent decades than ever before. Besides the benefits this form of travelling brings to both the visitors and the countries themselves, it also causes several problems that I doubt outweigh the positive influences. On the one hand, transnational travels help people know more about the outside world. For example, dated back to the 1400s, the majority of Europeans knew only their continent and strictly believed the Earth is flat, and it was Columbus’s renowned transatlantic voyage that marked the complete change of the community’s attitude towards their globe. Moreover, these kinds of travel bring about enormous advantages to the visited nation. For many small countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, tourism is the primary source of revenue. Consequently, the more foreigners come to the area, the stronger its economy is. On the other hand, there are still some critical issues relating to this dominant travel. Up to now, most international travels are made through the means of air. The increasing air traffic leads to a great deal of environmental pollution, and further seriously harm the local inhabitants’ health. Furthermore, there are potential dangers with international travel such as unsuitable climate or unfamiliar cultures, both of which create significant gaps between overseas visitors and the country’s people and result in unexpected situations such as being robbed or involved in violent fights. In conclusion, the disadvantages of international travelling certainly do not outweigh the advantages. Even so, the downsides cannot be overlooked. Countries should take adequate measures to ensure that they reap maximum benefits from travel and tourism.