MIGRATION VERSUS TRAVELLING

Migration is widely controversial. Travelling is widely popular. Yet both are means to cross borders.

In 2015, there were 232 million migrants worldwide (including 21,3 million asylum seekers and refugees). That’s 3% of the world population. In the same year, 1,1 billion people, or 15% of the world population, were international travellers, such as international business people and tourists. Both are means of crossing borders in the pursuit to enrich life. However, it is the 3% of migrants who create fear.

But who is a migrant and who is traveller?

Labels are useful to describe the reason/motivation for crossing borders. However, we tend to talk about migration and international travelling as two separate global phenomena where travellers are seen as 'resourceful' and migrants tend to be seen as 'people draining the economy'. Is it that easy? Labels have a profound effect on how we are perceived and ultimately treated as individuals. We see migration and travelling on a spectrum. If you are a refugee or an expat then you are a migrant and if you are a tourist then you are a traveller. But what if you are an international student, work and holiday traveller, life style migrant, or an au pair.

Are you then a migrant or a traveller? Or maybe both?