According to the Economist Impact report on the future of the travel and tourism industry, most people agree that travel can awaken new perspectives on life. It builds tolerance and acceptance through experiences with people, places, and cultures unlike their own. In fact, 79% of travelers feel that travel expands their worldview, and seven in ten believe it increases their empathy towards others.
What’s more, the cultural exchange we experience through travel is inevitably a two-way street. It is not only the traveler who gains insights and impressions from the cultures with which they interact, and two-thirds of the respondents agreed that inbound tourism improved tolerance towards foreigners visiting their local area.