Travel is a force for good, it can improve international ties

A tourist walks out of a traditional souvenir shop in Sidi Bou Said, near Tunis, Tunisia July 7, 2015. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the Islamist militant attack on a beach hotel that killed 38 foreigners had left the country in a state of war. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

IN June 2011, on an 80% empty London-to-Cairo jumbo jet, two Alexandria businessmen scoffed at British timidity.

“That’s not how they built an empire!”said one. His friend laughed. “A century ago, mobs couldn’t scare them!” Both men were hotel owners, extra sensitive to the reduced tourist flow since the beginning of the ill-named Arab spring.