Throughout history, humankind has searched for sustainable peace
and harmony through the disciplines of political science,
geography, economics, sociology and, far too often, the act of war
itself. More recently, tourism has been touted as a strategy to
contribute to world peace. Tourism does not necessarily contribute
to peace but has the potential to do so in so many ways. The
struggle of both academics and policymakers has been to distinguish
between the myths and realities of the tourism and peace
propositions, and most importantly to focus on the strategies that
qualify tourism as an agent of peace.
For the first time, academics from around the world have
combined efforts to develop a compilation of work that deals
specifically with the tourism and peace phenomenon. Representing
peace organizations, government bodies and universities, each
contributor offers their own perspective. From metropolitan areas
to emerging regions like the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Georgia
and Cyprus, the book is a frank and open discussion that includes
strategies in creating 'active peace'. Each of these contributors
offers evidence, examples and hope for a new world based on the
ideals of achieving peace with tourism as a powerful working
strategy. The work presented in this book is thorough and
diverse.
As head of an academic institute and advocate of world
citizenship, I warmly welcome this academic initiative and promote
it in our classrooms. As the editors of this book would say: there
is more to tourism than economics and there is more to peace than
the absence of arms. What I can say is that peace and tourism are
intertwined and teaching this topic is timely (Klaas-Wybo).
As a media producer, I have been interested in tourism and peace
for several years, and I must admit that the book is interesting
and timely. The many propositions and views addressed and presented
by the contributors make tourism an even stronger peace ally
(Sandy).
Klaas-Wybo van der Hoek, Vice-President and
Head of Academic Affairs, Stenden University
Sandy Dhuyvetter, Founder and Executive
Producer, TravelTalkMEDIA
O. Moufakkir (red.), Tourism, Progress and Peace.
London: CAB, 2010. Een van de essays in het boek is geschreven door
NHTV-docenten R.K. Isaac and V. Platenkamp ('Volunteer Tourism in
Palestine: a Normative Perspective).