Peace through tourism.

It is time to talk about peace through tourism. Worldwide tourism has been recognized as a social force that can promote international understanding, cooperation, and global fraternity among all peoples of the global village. Many people and institutions are taking the lead in promoting peace building through tourism by putting together international exchange programs and building national and international peace through tourism conferences.

Peace through tourism is not a new concept. Back in 1987 and 1990, Irish Peace Institute president Dr. Brendan Regan organized the International Tourism-Passport to Peace and Peace Through Tourism - Shadow or Substance? In 1988, the first global conference, Tourism - A Vital Force for Peace, was organized by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism under the guidance of Louis D'Amore, a crusader of peace through tourism. And even before that, President John F. Kennedy expressed a belief in world peace through tourism when he declared:

Travel has become one of the great forces for peace and understanding in our time. As people move through the world and learn to know each other, to understand each other's customs and to appreciate the qualities of the individuals of each nation, we are building a level on international understanding which can sharply improve the atmosphere for world peace (cited in Sutton, 1967).

International Tourism

This world peace-building vision between people of all walks of life and different backgrounds is made possible through international tourism. In 1990, the European Year of Tourism, Dr. Robert Hollier, executive director of the European Travel Commission, observed, "Whether they are seeking war or searching for peace, governments need support by the masses. And one obvious way to move masses is tourism which now carries far larger numbers of peaceful people than the largest warlike migrations in the history of humanity." The international flow of ideas, goods, and especially people is possible today because of agreements between many nations; starting with Rio de Janeiro Declaration (1972), Helsinki Accord (1975), Manilla Declaration (1980), Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code (1985), Columbia Charter (1988), and Hague Declaration (1989). All these bilateral or multilateral agreements sought to make the international flow of ideas and people who travel for professional or recreational purposes easier by simplifying entry and exit procedures, lowering travel document fees, and training customs personnel to be courteous to foreign visitors. These measures have set the tone for freedom to travel.

The Helsinki Accord stand out because it regarded leisure and travel as a human right which enriches life, culture, and understanding among peoples. The Helsinki Accord made specific references to tourism, as the signatories:

* expressed their intentions to "encourage increased tourism on both an individual and group basis," * recognized the desirability of carrying out "detailed studies on tourism," * agreed to "endeavor, where possible, to ensure that the development of tourism does not injure the artistic, historic, and cultural heritage in their respective countries," * stated their intention "to facilitate wider travel by their citizens for personal or professional reasons," * agreed to "endeavor gradually to lower, where necessary, the fees for visas and official travel documents," * agreed to "increase, on the basis of appropriate agreements or arrangements, cooperation in the development of tourism, in particular, by considering bilaterally, possible ways to increase information relating to travel to other related questions of mutual interest," and * expressed their intention "to promote visits to their respective countries."

In The Next 200 Years, the late Herman Kahn remarked, "It seems reasonable to assume that by the end of the century tourism will be one of the largest industries in the world." The prediction indeed is proving to be true. It was reported by the World Tourism Organization that international tourism is growing and generating billions of dollars every year (see Table One). Of course, the economic significance of tourism is very obvious. Between 1970 and 1990 international tourism receipts exceeded $200 billion. The forecasts for the year 2000 are very promising with about 532 million international visitors, which translates into a little over $300 billion. The economic benefits hopefully will improve the standards of living of the host communities by financing the infrastructure and education and health systems.

TABLE ONE. INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS AND TRAVEL RECEIPTS

Year               Arrivals (Millions)   Receipts (Billions)

1960                69                   $ 6.9

1970               160                    11.6

1980               285                   102.4

1990               412                   225.0

2000 (projected)   532                   304.3

Citizen Diplomacy

An understanding and appreciation of other people's cultures and backgrounds seems to be the logical prerequisite to peace through tourism. Barbara D. Stephens, director of International Seminars and Advisory Services, argues that people go through three levels of cross-cultural awareness (see Figure One). People go through different stages of cultural awareness and the diversity of the world, depending on the individual's level of tolerance or intolerance.

FIGURE ONE. THREE LEVELS OF CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS

Level                    Mode                    Interpretation of
                                                 Culture

I. Awareness of          tourism, textbooks,     exotic, bizarre,
superficial              National Geographic     unreal
or visible cultural
traits,
stereotypes

II. Awareness of         culture, conflict       frustrating,
cultural                 situations, negative    irrational,
attitudes and behavior   experiences             inferior
that
contrast markedly with
one's own

III. Awareness of        intellectual analysis   empathy,
significant                                      sensitivity,
and subtle cultural                              non-judgmental
traits that
are both similar and
dissimilar
to one's own

Citizen diplomacy is an educational process between people of the world whereby they try to resolve their problems without government interference. The best example is portrayed in the twinning of Seattle and Tashkent. In 1982, the city of Seattle drafted a letter to the people of Tashkent in the former Soviet Union; and a 32-person delegation traveled in March of 1983 to deliver a letter in person:

The people of Seattle and Tashkent are united through the Sister City Program, through our love for our cities, and through the hopes we share for our children's futures. Yet if there is a nuclear war, all that we value would be destroyed. As people who live in the Puget Sound community, we pledge ourselves to work to prevent nuclear war. Nuclear war is an unthinkable horror that must be prevented. Our two nations must work together to create peaceful means of resolving conflicts and take steps to reduce the danger of nuclear war. We are working for these goals in our country and would like to be united with other people as they work for these goals in their countries. (The Peace Catalog, 1984)

The delegation delivered the message of peace and the Tashkent people's response was overwhelmingly favorable. In the early 1980s, some peace groups such as Ploughshare and Architects for Social Responsibility explored the establishment of Parks for Peace in the United States and former Soviet Union. Other examples of citizen diplomacy are international youth exchange programs and pen pal programs.

Research in the area of tourism and peace has received widespread attention from academicians and practitioners as well. The major focus of the research has been on international tourism, understanding international tourists' perceptions of tourism, cultural understanding, international goodwill, and tourism as a tool for promoting peace. Most research done so far Var, Brayley, and Korsay, 1989; Brayley and Var, 1989; Var, Schluter, Ankomah, and Lee, 1989; Pyska, 1990; Ap, Var, and Din, 1990, and Ap and Var, 1990) have found that most international tourists have a positive impression and believe that tourism is a major force in promoting world peace and cultural understanding.

In Programming for Peace, Edward Walsh's words became a plea for a just world: "As citizens of one world, our concern must extend beyond national borders. As leisure practitioners, we seek to promote a quality of life that comes from leisure experiences that are accessible for all people. By pursuing a more just social order and building a more peaceful world in which human life can flourish, we are fulfilling our commitment to ensure quality of life." To create a peaceful world and improve the quality of life of mankind, we must realize that there must be harmonious relationships between three fundamental areas - ecological, economic, and social poles (UNESCO, 1992):

* Ecological pole. Like biological development, the development of human societies undergoes ecological constraints and demands. Here, environmental education has particular relevance (while taking the other parameters equally into account). The Humanity/Nature dimension is indispensable in planning sustainable development. * Economic pole. The economic vitality of a society depends on its capacity to dispose of a surplus which it can exchange for the goods it lacks. The surplus can come from its productivity, technology and know-how, etc. Insofar as it derives from its natural resources, their renewability or nonrenewability is a prime consideration if the society's goal is sustained development.

The possibility of substitutes has been mentioned as an important factor. In like manner, prices for natural resource derivatives would best allow for their recycling to the maximum possible, as to extend the lifetime of their usability, ideally for generations to come. * Social pole. A country's accumulation of wealth finds its meaning and justification in its social development, that is, in the improvement of the quality of its people's lives - though not at the expense of another country or the world at-large.

It is imperative that we meet these criteria to create the peaceful world we envision for the future. As Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson has said, "No planet can survive half starved, half free, half engulfed in misery, half careening along toward the joys of an almost unlimited consumption ... neither ecology nor our mortality could survive such contrasts."

Spirit of Cooperation

The constant change in world events requires mankind to rethink our future. Tourism is becoming that social force that will help peoples and nations to shape the outcome of their future. International tourism agreements have been reducing barriers to travel between nations. By and large, international travel and its economic impact have been rising tremendously. Besides its economic benefit, tourism also plays a major role in the coming together of people from all walks of life and backgrounds in a spirit of goodwill and brotherhood. From an ecological angle, nature tourism is making people aware of the environmental crisis. Thus, people are traveling to remote areas to help by working on conservative projects to protect fragile ecosystems. Only in this spirit of cooperation between nations will we create the peaceful world we have envisioned.