Tourism meeting says industry can bring peace and prosperity

Delegates at an international conference on tourism on Friday recognised and vowed to develop the potential that the industry has in the promotion of peace and reduction of poverty. Travel and tourism, the world's largest industry, has become the significant driver in many developing economies and is a useful tool for "promoting understanding, trust and goodwill among peoples of the world", they said in an action plan issued in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The week-long meeting was organised by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) and looked at various issues facing the industry in Africa, where, on average, it accounts for 11 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "This was a very powerful and productive event that exceeded everyone's expectations," Louis d'Amore, founder and president of the IIPT, told IRIN after the meeting on Friday. "We have had over 350 people from 25 countries and they are returning home committed to the action plan and dedicated to spread the message that we are building. This is the second conference we have had on Africa and the momentum is building," he said. On a global scale, the delegates called for the UN to establish an International Year of Peace through Tourism, further meetings on the concept and increased dissemination of "success stories" in community tourism. Tanzania, where tourism accounts for about 16 percent of GDP and nearly 25 percent of total export earnings, was cited by many at the conference as a symbol of the importance of tourism for the continent's economies. The industry directly supported 157,200 jobs in 2002 and foreign exchange earnings grew from US $259.4 million in 1995 to $730 million in 2002. Joseph Butiku, Executive Director of Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, an organisation dedicated to preserving ideals of the founding president of Tanzania, highlighted the potential power of tourism and travel as a means of reconciling past enemies. "The whole process of healing wounds starts from this interaction between and among peoples, and within and between countries," he said. "Tourism can thus play a major role in spearheading an atmosphere of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace in the world and the African continent in particular." Economically, the industry is important for the future of the continent but, following the theme of this year's meeting, which focused on community tourism, he stressed that the deal had to benefit both parties. "It is only when the visiting tourists and their hosts in the country visited share a common understanding of the meaning of community tourism and its benefits to both sides that conflict can be averted, or resolved where it exists already," he said. The Foundation also called for financial institutions to review their policies to come up with financial plans that would promote bankable tourism programmes and projects within the continent. "Those will help alleviate poverty that humiliates local communities, and sometimes leads to conflicts that create the wounds that need healing later," it said.