Suffolk has become something of an international destination in recent weeks, with visitors of all ages making the city an important part of their travel itineraries.

Families in Suffolk have long been fond of participating as hosts of international exchange students, and a new group of those long-term visitors arrived in town on Saturday, coming to Suffolk after having spent time at an orientation camp in Michigan upon first arriving in the United States from Europe, Asia and South America.

Those and other exchange students are bound for several different Suffolk schools, where they will learn the same things as their American classmates. Perhaps more important, though, will be the things they learn from their host families, who will teach the visitors about U.S. culture and traditions.

Perhaps when those exchange students return to their home countries, they one day will see the benefit of programs like Sister Cities International, through the efforts of which yet another group of international visitors was able to come to Suffolk last week.

A delegation of 19 people from Suffolk sister city Oderzo, Italy, the boyhood home of Amedeo Obici, spent several days exploring the many ways the Planters founder and great philanthropist had influenced his adopted home town in Virginia. During their visit, they, too, had an opportunity to share in cultural events from an American — and uniquely Southern — perspective.

Whether they are teenagers on extended educational exchanges or mature adults just here for a bit of a cultural holiday, the city’s international visitors get to enjoy some of the best that Virginia has to offer right here in Suffolk. We’re glad to be able to say, “Welcome!”