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Early Beginnings<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Louis D’Amore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe world is a book,\u201d observed Saint Augustine, \u201cand those who do not travel read only one page.\u201d Some sixteen centuries later, the \u201cbook\u201d is becoming a page-turning bestseller. Travel and tourism has established itself as one of the world\u2019s largest and fastest growing industries revolutionizing our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world. The exponential growth of international tourism arrivals from 25 million in 1950 to 1.0 billon international arrivals in 2012 is clearly one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of our time. It may have been Mark Twain who first recognized the value of tourism in promoting peace. His book, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles his 1867 travels through Europe and the Holy Land. In this, his best-selling work during his lifetime and one of the best-selling travel books of all time, he states:<\/p>\n

\u201cTravel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.<\/em><\/p>\n

Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one\u2019s lifetime.\u201d (Twain 1867). It was a German teacher, Richard Schirrmann, Founder of Hostelling International, who in 1909 transformed these words into action. He initially set out to introduce his students to the wonders of nature in the countryside and the culture of cities. \u201cEach forest, each plain, each flower, each mountain, each village and each town,\u201d he taught his students, \u201cis a separate page of your homeland.<\/p>\n

It is necessary to familiarize yourself with these pages through experiences rather than reading about them. But also travel beyond the borders of your country\u201d \u2013 he advised \u2013 \u201cto seek out people of other lands and appreciate those who have different languages and backgrounds, for doing this \u2013 neighbors and friends \u2013 build hence the youth hostels \u2013 and open them for all the youth of the world as the home of peace \u2013 for the good of humanity.\u201d (IIPT, 2008) Mr. Schirmann\u2019s philosophy was to provide young people of all countries with suitable meeting places throughout the world, where they could meet, exchange ideas and get to know each other thereby building an important part of education that contributes to international understanding.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Jean Barraud in post-World War II France began organizing trips for French students to Germany in 1946 & \u201947. His main purpose for doing so\u00a0was to bring the youth of both countries together \u2013 youth whose parents had been mortal enemies for several years. He wanted to give young people the opportunity to communicate with each other \u2013 to understand each other \u2013 to share their views on life. These trips resulted in the Federation of Youth Travel Organizations (FIYTO) founded in 1950 with a mission of promoting international understanding among young people through travel. Today youth and student travel accounts for more than 20% of all international arrivals \u2013 and is projected to increase to 25% in the next few years.<\/p>\n

The foundations for commerce and the exchange of goods and services as a basis of friendship, collaboration and peace had its beginnings in 1919, when a handful of entrepreneurs and business leaders came together to bring hope to a world still devastated by the First World War. They were resolved to replace fear and suspicion with a new spirit of friendly international cooperation, at least among business people. They founded the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and called themselves \u201cthe merchants of peace\u201d. (Merchants of Peace 2013)<\/p>\n

A similar movement began in 1932 within the travel and tourism industry. A group of travel professionals from Paris received a warm welcome from their hosts in Stockholm and the idea of international goodwill and friendship that results from travel was born. Today, Skal International is the world\u2019s largest organization of travel and tourism executives with more than 18,000 members in 450 cities of 85 countries and the only organization embracing members from all sectors of the industry.<\/p>\n

1980 Manila Declaration<\/strong><\/p>\n

The World Tourism Organization convened in Manila, Philippines, from 27 September to 10 October 1980, with the participation of 107 delegations of States and 91 delegations of observers, in order to clarify the nature of tourism in all its aspects and the role tourism is bound to play in a dynamic and vastly changing world. Delegates also convened to consider the responsibility of States for the development and enhancement of tourism in present-day societies as more than a purely economic activity of nations and people. The resulting Manila Declaration began with words that read in part: \u201cCONVINCED that world tourism can be a vital force for world peace and can provide the moral and intellectual basis for international understanding and interdependence.\u201d (UNWTO Manila Declaration 1985) And so, for the first time, the role of \u201ctourism as a vital force for peace\u201d was enshrined in a formal document of the world\u2019s premier tourism organization representing the nations and governments of the world.<\/p>\n

World Leaders and \u201cCitizen Diplomacy\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

World leaders have long recognized the important role of \u201cCitizen Diplomacy\u201d in promoting mutual understanding. President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew from his experience as a military commander that ordinary citizens of different nations could bridge political and social divides where governments could not. \u201cI have long believed, as have many before me,\u201d he said, \u201cthat peaceful relations between nations requires understanding and mutual respect between individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eisenhower thought that ordinary citizens, if able to communicate directly, would solve their differences and find a way to live in peace, for while we are all different, our values, goals, and day-to-day issues are very much the same.<\/p>\n

His belief in the potential of citizen peacemakers led to a meeting in 1956 with entertainer Bob Hope, Olympic champion Jesse Owens, Hallmark Cards founder Joyce Hall, and the legendary Walt Disney. This select group, along with a hundred other leaders from industry, academia, and the arts, launched \u201cPeople to People International\u201d with the aim of fostering international understanding and friendship through the direct exchange of ideas and experiences among people of diverse cultures. The program continues to flourish through initiatives such as Project Hope and Sister Cities, under the current leadership of Mary Eisenhower, President Eisenhower\u2019s granddaughter, \u201cTravel has become one of the great forces for peace and understanding of our time,\u201d said Eisenhower\u2019s successor in the White House, President John F. Kennedy. \u201cAs people move throughout the world and learn to know each other, to understand each other\u2019s customs, and to appreciate the qualities of the individuals of each nation, we are building a level of international understanding which can sharply improve the attitude for world peace.\u201d Kennedy\u2019s recognition of the importance of travel and intercultural exchange led to the formation of the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961.<\/p>\n

President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev both saw the vital role that travel can play in breaking down historical barriers of isolation. Their joint statement following the 1986 Geneva Summit affirmed in part, \u201cThere should be greater understanding among our peoples, and to this end we will encourage greater travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope John Paul II believed that \u201cTourism puts us in touch with other ways of living, other religions and other perceptions of the world and its history. This helps people to discover themselves and others, both as individuals and as communities. And U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stated: \u201cTourism is the people\u2019s building block for global peace and cultural understanding. It can also help drive economic growth and alleviate poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birthing of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The original seeding of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) occurred in the mid-1970\u2019s when the firm of L.J. D\u2019Amore and Associates was commissioned by the Government of Canada to conduct the world\u2019s first study on the future of tourism. The study was conducted through a \u201cNorth American lens\u201d and findings were justifiably very bullish on the future of tourism with higher levels of income and education, increased leisure time, more persons retiring with pensions, smaller families, and a general trend towards a propensity to travel for life-enriching experiences. As well, for the\u00a0first time, the study introduced social and environmental dimensions into the tourism matrix.<\/p>\n

The study was updated two years later in 1978 and subsequently an ongoing futures research program was launched called \u201cTourscan\u201d which produced 6 to 8 reports a year on societal trends and their implications for tourism; trends within the travel and tourism industry; and an annual forecast of tourism projections for the following year. By the early 1980\u2019s, research began to be conducted through a \u201cglobal lens\u201d which in turn introduced a totally different view of the future \u2013 a future that included environmental deterioration, a growing gap between have and have not regions of the world, increasing \u201cCold War tensions\u201d between countries of the East and West, and a growth in terrorism. With a realization that by the Year 2000, travel and tourism would be one of the world\u2019s largest and fastest growing industries, it was decided that focus should shift from doing research on the future of travel and tourism \u2013 to asking, how can travel and tourism \u2013 soon to be one of the world\u2019s largest and fastest growing industries \u2013 be a positive force for a better world. Over a period of several years, L.J. D\u2019Amore and Associates gradually transitioned, and in 1986, the UN International Year of Peace, the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) was born with a vision of Travel and Tourism becoming the world\u2019s first \u201cGlobal Peace Industry\u201d \u2013 an industry that promotes and supports the belief that every traveler is potentially an \u201cAmbassador for Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

IIPT\u2019s concept of \u201cPeace\u201d from the start has been a positive concept that goes beyond the notion of simply the absence of war. It embraces six dimensions: peace and tranquility within ourselves; peace with others, from our neighbors next door to our neighbors in the global village; collaboration among; peace with nature and our common home \u2013 planet earth; peace with past generations \u2013 by which we honor our respective cultures, heritage and achievements of past generations; peace with future generations \u2013 through sustainable lifestyles and practices; and peace with our Creator \u2013 by practicing the universal principle of all faiths and humanists \u2013 \u201cdo unto others as we would have them do unto ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following two years of planning, and with support from both the private and public sectors of the Canadian travel and tourism industry, the First Global Conference: Tourism \u2013 A Vital Force for Peace was held in Vancouver, Canada, October 1988 with Air Canada as the Title Sponsor.<\/p>\n

Introduction of a \u201cHigher Purpose of Tourism\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 25 year retrospective look at the First Global Conference: Tourism \u2013 A Vital Force for Peace, suggests that it was a watershed event for the travel and tourism industry. Eight hundred persons from 68 countries participated in the event which featured video-taped messages from Pope John Paul II and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the Opening Ceremony. President Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland, the world\u2019s first elected woman Head of State was the Honorary Chair of the Conference. Exactly two years earlier she had hosted the Reykjavik Summit between President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev which resulted in the beginning disarmament of nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Vancouver conference first introduced the concept of \u201cSustainable Tourism Development\u201d \u2013 four years prior to the UN Rio Summit on Environment and Development. It also introduced a new paradigm for a \u201cHigher Purpose of Tourism\u201d \u2013 a paradigm that includes the role of tourism in:<\/p>\n