To move abroad…follow the customs of the new country or keep their own?

Nowadays, as a result of the continuous increase in the habit of travelling abroad, more and more people experience contacts with different cultures. Sometimes, the effect of this phenomenon can be even shoking, especially for people who come from western – culture countries to places in which life is completely different. Therefore, most tourists argue whether they should respect the local culture or local people should welcome different customs instead.

On the other hand, it is true that although every culture has the same importance , all possible efforts should be made to preserve the differences. By doing that, tourists could have the chance of avoiding the contaminations between cultures.

A useful example supporting this argument is given by the veil used by muslim women , that, far from being a simple garment, involves historical and cultural issues. Consequently, respecting their culture should include wearing the veil by female tourists. At the same time, being this a religious-related matter, muslim people could decide to be less strict with tourists, in order to improve the tourist industry.

As far as I am concerned, tourists must be respectful of the countries they are visiting, while local people could try to learn from other cultures. In other words, it would be better to use tolerance from both sides.

As a consequence, I feel strongly that contamination is a positive phenomenon, and when it does not accur the loser aspect is the development of a nation. For instance, Naples is a big city but the lack of integration represents a serious limit for citizens’ cultural growth.

To conclude, keeping one’s own customs is legitimate but not covering different cultures can constitute a loss for everybody.