Domestic and international tourism in third world, nations

Domestic tourism may be differentiated from international tourism not only by the obvious criterion of point of origin, but also by its economic and socio-cultural impacts and by the nature of the demand which gives rise to the two forms of tourism. In terms of directly attracting foreign exchange, domestic tourism makes little contribution to the economies of third world nations. Indirectly, however, by providing employment in the service sector and by encouraging the development of an infrastructure that can itself attract international tourists, its economic impact can be quite substantial Moreover, there is little likelihood that domestic tourism will bring about the cultural conflicts for which international tourism in third world nations has become notorious. Indeed, in some special circumstances, such as exist in a federal state comprised of culturally diverse peoples, domestic tourism can actually encourage close integration between the tourists and the inhabitants of the regions being visited.