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Peace and Tourism: Tourism - a Generator of Peace or a
Beneficiary of Peace?
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of
Novi Sad, Serbia; dunjicjelena1@gmail.com
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of
Novi Sad, Serbia; solarevicm@neobee.net
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of
Novi Sad, Serbia; maja_0206@hotmail.com
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of
Novi Sad, Serbia; milosavdunjic@gmail.com
Abstract
When people travel frequently all over the world, it helps them get to know new people,
cultures, values etc. That experience is capable of increasing mutual understanding among
people who have been living in diverse cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, such travel also
benefits the host countries economically and politically. However, there is an opposing view
which claims tourism is not a generator of peace but
possible in areas where peace is present; it is absent in war zones, and much diminished in
areas of high conflict and tension. Additionally, tourism has been perceived as a way of
exploiting local people and dest
aim of this paper is to compare different views on the relationship between peace and
tourism as well as to point out specific examples of their mutual relationship and
contribution.
Keywords: tourism, peace, war, political issues.
Introduction
Tourism is an industry that is very sensitive to changes of any kind. Tourist activity is affected
both by natural (climatic, seismic ...) and changes caused by man through their actions. We
are witnessing the impact of natural disasters on the reduction of tourism activities, climate
change that affected the choice of tourist destinations, but unfortunately the political
instability and wars that have contributed to a certain parts of the world to become
completely inaccessible to the tourist industry. This fact supports the notion that peace is one
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of the key requirements for the conduct of the tourist industry. Given the importance of
peace for the tourist industry, it is clear that tourism is trying to contribute to the
impact on the end of war but it is an activity that is based on knowledge and respect for other
cultures, religions and nations which helps people to get to know and understand each other
better. To further explain the mutual interdependence between tourism and peace, it is
necessary first to define the words peace and tourism because they can be interpreted
differently by different people.
Definition of peace and tourism in context of peace-through-tourism
concept
war or violent conflict occurs. Nations are making every effort to keep peace by defending
their society from the threat of war, violence and terrorism through the building of
(Satani, 2003).
Some peace researchers have cast doubt on this definition of peace
peace. Some people suffer from diseases that are preventable. Some starve to death although
there is enough food on earth. Some are denied a decent education, housing, an opportunity
to play, to grow, to work, to raise a family, to have a right to freedom of speech, or to take part
in their governance. They would never feel peaceful in such situations where their human
rights and dignity are violated (Satani, 2003). Indeed, many wars, including some in modern
times, have been fought in the name of peace, or of similarly commendable objectives such
as recognition of human rights, freedom, independence, justice or national defence. It is clear
that there is one form of pacifism which would preclude the use of violence completely, and
another form which accepts that the use of violence is justified in certain circumstances (Kelly,
2006).
Negative peace is defined as nothing more than the absence of physical violence. Peace is
largely understood as a state where there is no war or violence. Positive peace, on the other
hand, is defined as a situation where all the states in former conflict are working together for
mutual benefit. It emphasizes the presence of harmony, equity and justice within and
between societies (Satani, 2003).
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Although the term 'pacifism' is comparatively recent, the desire among people to live in
peaceful conditions - if only for economic, security or social reasons - is apparent in the
evolution of human societies and nations. Despite the conflict associated with exclusivity and
claims to universalism, all major religions en courage their adherents to adopt non-violent
attitudes (Kelly, 2006).
There is also a distinction between pacifism as a personal attribute and pacifism as national or
organizational policy. For an individual, avoidance of violence is likely to be a matter of
conscience, whereas for the policy-maker pacifism may be a way of avoiding the suffering,
loss of life, and physical, economic and social damage which war inevitably causes. Despite
this, history is replete with examples demonstrating acceptance of these by governments
(and by those opposed to them) as the price to be paid for some higher goal (Kelly, 2006).
In this paper, tourism is going to be discussed in relationship to peace. Although economic
factor can be significant for each government to promote tourism as one of their resources
for expenditure and, thus, to make policy decisions, this paper focuses primarily on socio-
cultural interactions between people and people, and between people and nature.
Tourism is not the same as other forms of mobility and migration, in that it is always a
transient encounter, involving the movement of the relatively wealthy sectors of the global
populace even within developing countries (Meethan, 2003). The purposes of tourists are
business, study, pleasure, leisure or visiting families and relatives. They move voluntarily from
one place to another. There are interactions between tourists, business suppliers, host
governments and host communities and/or contacts between humans and nature (Satani,
2003).
Tourism is defined as movement of persons involving the crossing of cultural boundaries for
the purpose of business, study, pleasure or leisure. It involves some form of culture contact,
however transient and superficial (Meethan, 2003).As one of the largest industries on the
globe, tourism has grown rapidly during the past six decades. It has been significant for
reducing unemployment, increasing economic growth, and contributing to natural resource
conservation and cultural exchange (Honey, Gilpin, 2009).
Tourism has both positive and negative implications for the destination and the local
population.
Most often it is the case that tourists come from developed countries to destinations that are
located in developing countries. Often, developing countries see tourism as the fastest way to
make money. Local authorities often see only the positive implications of tourism on the
economy and approve investment of foreign capital in the destinations, which for a given
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destination is certainly positive. However, it also means international companies have their
headquarters in the developed countries of the world including all proceeds go outside
destination. Also the position of the local population and international companies to the
destination is the equal. A large part of the global tourism industry is subordinated to the
wishes and demand of tourists. Most tourists come from developed countries. They often
require high quality hospitality services, which can be justified by their habits and high living
standards. Hospitality facilities at destinations often belong to a chain and brand
guaranteeing a certain quality which draws also a suitable price. Services in facilities
belonging to the chain are mainly standardized in all parts of the world. Local residents in the
large hotel chains see employment opportunities, improving living standards and additional
income. But their expectations rarely come true or, more specifically do not come true at the
-
chances to earn income from tourists. The packages provide tourists everything they need.
They are encouraged to spend most of their time and money on board or within the tourist
areas, do not have to move out of the same cruise ship or resort, where they are completely
isolated from local communities. Local people do not have much opportunity to profit from
tourist as a result. In resort hotels, tourists spend, or waste, too much water and electricity and
this may cause a shortage of natural resources for local people and the pollution of the
natural environment. The consumption of tourists not only results in increasing the income of
the local population but also causes higher taxes and prices (Millman, 1991).
Additionally, tourism has been perceived as a way of exploiting local people and destinations
perpetuating western dominance in the developing world. Advocates of this view argue that
tourists in the underdeveloped world tend to come from the rich North and West, not the
lesser developed South. Thus, in developing nations, there are many fewer tourists coming
from developing nations, but rather more from rich, developed countries visiting poor
counties. This l (Etter,
2007).
Tourism may also impose an enormous drain on local populations. Increasing demand from
tourists for basic services and goods will often cause the price run ups, though the income of
local residents is not proportionately increased. In addition, tourism developer may ask the
host governments to improve the airport, roads and other infrastructure, and often to provide
tax privileges and financial benefits, which can consequently reduce government investment
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Tourism has also a lot of positive aspects as so called promising industry. Global institutions
for tourism, as well as scholars and other professionals involved in the tourism industry,
prominence as a global industry. The major assumption behind the notion of peace tourism is
that when people travel frequently all over the world, it helps them get to know new people,
cultures, values etc. That experience is capable of increasing mutual understanding among
people who have been living in diverse cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, such travel also
benefits the host countries economically and politically (Hearth, 2010).
employment for a large assortment of people in various social strata including part time and
seasonal job opportunities for many people. Tourism can also provide supplemental income
generation to people who already have other jobs. Taken as a whole, this large web of
employment opportunities could generate income for multiple layers in society (Honey,
Gilpin, 2009). Income generation leads to the increase of per capita income and it is one of the
preventive factors that mitigate the civil conflict escalation. Particularly, low income leads to
elevated inequality in society and if those disparities are based on ethnic lines, then it could
trigger more social unrest. Therefore, income disparities could lead societies into more
structural inequalities and draw out the durations of prevailing civil wars (Collier et al., 2004).
For that reason, it can be asserted that tourism is a prospective alternative for developing
countries to mitigate impending dangers of civil conflicts.
Women are another beneficiary of tourism. Many women are engaged in work making
handicrafts. Tourism significantly increases the demand for such products, therefore
providing more jobs. This offers an opportunity for
spent. Another benefit is that there is no age limit for these jobs. Elderly people who cannot
get other jobs can make and sell handicrafts. Therefore, tourism can contribute to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals pertaining to gender equality as well (Honey, Gilpin,
2009).
Furthermore, it is important to stress the educational dimension of tourism. Through travel,
tourists enhance their knowledge of other countries and cultures, and view their relationship
with these countries through new lenses. Arranging new forms of guest and host
relationships could mitigate the master/servant relationship in the tourism industry,
especially through having innovative accommodations such as arranging host families for
tourists (Kelly, 2006).
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Interdependency between peace and tourism with particular examples
Tourism can be a mean of reducing tension and promoting harmonious relations. It brings
people into contact with each other and provides cultural exchange between hosts and
guests. It is the opportunity for individuals to gain first-hand knowledge of the place they
visit. To foster understanding between people and cultures is an education element of
tourism. People involved in tourism have opportunities to develop mutual sympathy and
understanding and to reduce their prejudices. The more people get to know each other, the
less friction there is between them. Or at least, chances will be fewer that small events
explode into violent conflicts, because mutual understanding is established and both conflict
parties go to the table of the negotiation. The negative experiences of tourists and locals are
caused mostly by the lack of exposure to other cultures. Those experiences can be overcome
if both sides are able to eliminate feelings of their own cultural superiority and ethnocentrism,
Tourists can develop real friendships with local people. Tourists can help sustain local social
institutions as well as promoting pride in the visited community (Satani, 2003). There are
to conflict
resolution, greater intercultural understanding, and even global social justice. The question
whether and how tourism as a whole contributes to world peace is more complex (Salazar,
2006).
Table 1: Examples of WTO statements mentioning a link between tourism and peace
Year
Place
Document
Citation
1980
Manila,
Philippines
Declaration on
World Tourism
1985
Sofia,
Bulgaria
Tourism Bill of
Rights
and
Tourist Code
contribution to]
bringing people closer together
and, consequently, strengthening
1999
Santiago,
Chile
Global Code of
Ethics
for Tourism
and non-mediatized contacts it
engenders between men and
women of different cultures and
lifestyles, tourism presents a vital
force for peace and a factor of
friendship and understanding
Source: Salazar, 2006
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The peace-through-tourism idea is rapidly gaining ground among policy makers and industry
representatives. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the UN specialized agency
dealing with tourism, is one of its staunchest propagators. In addition to UNWTO statements
(see Table 1), campaigns (e.g. the Tourism Enriches campaign), and documents , there is an
institutional structure that advocates for tourism as a force for peace known as the
International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT). This non- profit organization,
International Year of Peace), is a coalition of
initiatives which contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved
quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, and through these initiatives, helping to
from global and regional conferences; the establishment of Global Peace Parks; the
development of curricula, student and tourism executive ambassador programs to assist
developing countries with tourism; collaborations with other organizations like UNESCO; and
passing its own declarations such as the 2000 Amman Declaration, the 2001 Thessaloniki
Declaration, and the 2005 Lusaka Declaration. The IIPT also published a Credo of the Peaceful
Traveler (Salazar, 2006).
There are many examples of countries which recently had some political issues which
affected their stability and between other things, their tourism turnover. In the following text
there will be presented some successful and some unsuccessful attempts for reaching and
maintaining of peace through tourism.
Cases of success: peace through tourism in divided societies
Northern Ireland case
In Northern Ireland, the period of violent conflict began with the Civil Rights marches in the
late 1960s, and the society has been exposed to relatively low level of violence since then.
There was a politically negotiated cease-fire in 1994 and in 1996. Yet, mutual distrust between
republicans and nationalists has not been eliminated generally. The conflict still exists now,
but there is a good evidence of reconciliation which is achieved by the promotion of tourism.
The solution advocated by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) was to form a single
tourism advocacy organization and to increase communication opportunities. This project
was successfully carried out at the tower museum in Derry/Londonderry. By involving the
different communities in a single project, both sides shared the mutual understanding and
strengthen relationships of mutual trust. This project was remarkable in that it helped either
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side of people to remove distrust and suspicion toward each other and to promote
reconciliation that could not have been achieved by the high-level agreements between
leaders of both adversarial parties (Satani, 2003).
Taiwan-China case
the track one diplomacy level between Mainland China and Taiwan. For nearly thirty years
relations were ostensibly peaceful. By the end of 1970s, China decided to give up the goal of
liberating Taiwan by force and began to search seriously for a peaceful reunification. Both
governments gradually lifted its restrictions against discussing the issue of unification in the
1980s, many Taiwanese quietly visited the mainland through a third country and the
mainland border control authority gave silent approval by not stamping their passports when
they entered or exited the mainland. In 1987, Taiwan decided to lift its ban on travel to the
mainland China initially for the purpose of visiting families and relatives. Increased flow of
Taiwan visitors to the Mainland marked the beginning of people-to-people contact between
the two sides after some decades of separation and hostility. Mainland Chinese was also
gradually allowed to visit Taiwan. The increasing number of tourists promoted closer contact,
mutual understanding and business opportunities between the two people on both sides of
the Taiwan Straits. In 1993, the first high-level meeting between the leaders of the two semi-
official organizations was held as a result of increased volume of tourism. This is a clear
example of initial reconciliation and limited cooperation between the two governments in
the wake of tourism (Satani, 2003).
A case of failure: Mt. Kumgang tour project
There is an example of the Mt. Kumgang tourism project, which has been promoted since
1998 by the government of North and South Korea to improve relations in the Korean
Peninsula. Although both Korean governments share the same political objective of
reunification of the Korean Peninsula, they have totally different views. North Korea employs
the
to achieve the goal. South Korea aims to achieve the goal through diplomacy with a help of
growing economic engagement. The project was first realised in 1998, when South Korean
President Kim Dae Jung decided the sunshine policy of rapprochement with the North. His
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relations with North Korea. North Korea accepted the project which was carried by the
Hyundai Group, the largest conglomerate corporation in South Korea, because the existence
of the business sector between governments could exclude direct involvement of the South
Korean governments.
The project was initially well-received by many South Koreans as asignificant step towards
reducing tensions of inter-Korean relations, but was soon criticised. The North government
did not stop showing overt hostile to the South: North Korea test-fired Taepodong 1 nuclear-
capable missile; their spy ship and submarine intruded into South Korean territorial waters;
and they refused the US nuclear inspectors. There were no restrictions imposed on the
spending hard currency earned by Kumgang tourism on weapons. Many South Korean
ity
to wage war. An even greater problem occurred from the viewpoint of tourism: the Mt.
Kumgang tour project was completely controlled by the North government. The tourists
undoubtedly decided to join the tour voluntarily. Yet, the problem is that they had no choice
but to follow the strict guidance decided by the North Korean government during the tour,
and they never met any ordinary North Koreans. It is true that the tourists visited North Korea,
but there was no interaction between the tourist zone of Mt. Kumgang and the reality of
North Korea (Satani, 2003).
These are some examples which demonstrates that relationship between tourism and peace
is strong and contribution of tourism to peace could be large. Tourism is not an effective
preventive option for direct violence in conflicts. However, peace tourism proponents argue
that tourism can prevent structural violence, which is typically associated with protracted
ct than
direct prevention of violence. Structural prevention focuses on preventing the development
or worsening of the underlying causes of conflict. It is different from the other forms of
activities such as mediation, negotiation, arbitration, early warning and early response etc.
However, structural prevention is very much synonymous with long term peace-building
aimed at addressing the social, economic and cultural divides that have long term
implications for triggering overt violence (Kelly, 2006). Properly managed tourism projects
could contribute to peace building by diminishing some of the structural causes associated
with violence. The examples above could serve as a demonstration of this proposition.
Conclusion
instability in some countries is culminating, and tourism sensitive as it is on every single
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change especially when it comes to safety and security takes part in every possible way to
prevent violence of any kind. People of all around a world are today - in 21. Century -
witnesses of wars, nuclear weapon threats, chemical weapon threats. The world faced a war in
Libya two years ago, Egypt civil war, war in Syria that lasts two years now, economy crises
since 2008., political instability in the Middle east, Balkan countries and Africa. Many lives have
been lost, nuclear and chemical weapon is a threat not only for the conflicting parties, but for
to stop violence or wars. Right now, peace-through-tourism ideas seem to be sustained more
by the sweet dreams and rhetoric from industry representatives and policy makers than by
fine-grained empirical research and academic theories. This does not mean that the peace-
through-tourism ideal is not worth pursuing. Every effort at making this world a better place
is definitely worth trying. However, in order to turn the peace-through-tourism discourse into
practice, more open dialogue is needed between policy makers and industry representatives
on the one hand, and scholars on the other. is only through more collaboration within the
tourism sector public and private; academic and industry that tourism can ever become a
true peace-builder.
Referrences
1. Collier, P., Hoeffler, A., and Soderbom, M. (2004). On the Duration of Civil War, Centre for
the Study of African Economies, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.
2. a Vital Force for Peace, Tourism Management volume 9
issue 2.
3. Etter, D. (2007). Situational Conditions of Attitude Change within Tourism Settings:
Understanding the Mechanics of Peace through Tourism. IIPT Occasional Paper No. 11
4. Promoting Peace and Reducing Poverty,United State Institute of Peace, Washington DC.
5. Kelly, I. (2006). Introduction to Peace through Tourism, IIPT Occasional Paper No.1.
6. Journal of
Tourism and Cultural Change, Vol.1, No.1, p.18.
7.
8. Salazar, B. N. (2006).
analytical notes and queries, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
353
9. Satani, K. (2003). Peace through tourism: How can tourism lead peace?, University of
Bradford, Yorkshire, UK.
10. http://www.responsibletravel.org/resources/documents/reports/USIP%20Tourism%20in
%
11. 20the%20Developing%20World.pdf
12. http://www.iipt.org/educators/OccPap11.pdf
13. http://www.beyondintractability.org/bi-essay/peace-through-tourism
