The term Xeno is a suffix that means foreigner or stranger, on the other hand, filia is also another suffix that means love or sympathy. Thus, the word xenophilia refers to the feeling of sympathy for the foreigner. The opposite manifestation would be xenophobia . Usually, both emotions refer to people who live in or visit one country but are from another.
In many nations there are several layers of society that come from other territories. Foreigners have a certain social impact , as their customs, values and beliefs draw the attention of the natives.
Thus, it can be said that communities of foreign origin are perceived in two different ways: as an extra part of society or as a threat . In the first case, it is about xenophilia and in the second, xenophobia.
General profile of a xenophile
Anyone with this mentality does not believe that foreigners are a problem. On the contrary, he understands that other people from different backgrounds enrich social relationships in many ways. Foreigners are welcome because they cook with other ingredients, bring new ideas and traditions, in short, integrate with cultural news. All of this is synonymous with enrichment and cultural diversity .
Some people are xenophiles because they believe that the foreigner is better than the native for some reason (some 19th-century Spaniards claimed to be French because for them French was superior to Spanish).
As a general rule, xenophilia occurs in a society as a whole when foreigners are willing to integrate into their new community or when they form a collective that generates wealth (in the case of tourists, this is a group that is positively valued because thanks to him there is greater economic activity ).
The xenophobe and the phenomenon of tourismphobia
As a general criterion, the xenophobe considers the presence of foreigners in his territory to be threatening and problematic. It understands that its traditions and customs are being invaded and attacked. In other words, the xenophobe believes that what comes from outside is bad and that his own is better. If we take as a reference the question of the French, mentioned above, for some Spaniards the word French was an insult.
In some cities around the world, the presence of tourists is so great that it has an ambivalent effect. On the one hand, tourists are welcome because they generate wealth and well-being. On the other hand, in some cases, their presence generates rejection in some social sectors. This last phenomenon is known as tourismphobia.
