Cross-border migration and travel : a virtuous relationship : international migration boosts travel and vice versa, bringing economic benefits but challenging public policy

The ongoing relationships between emigrants and their families, friends, and business contacts in their home countries can increase outbound and inbound crossborder travel, while cross-border tourism and business and study trips can trigger migration. New communication technologies, such as social media and video chat, only partially substitute for face-to-face meetings. In fact, the greater use of such technologies boosts demand for in-person meetings. Short- and long-term cross-border movements are becoming more complex, creating challenges for measuring immigration and for defining target populations for legislation and public policy.