In the framework of the 2024 World Tourism Day on the theme Tourism and Peace, ISTO’s Director Charles-Etienne Bélanger has written a message on the role of Tourism For All as an asset for promoting peace.
On the occasion of this new World Tourism Day, on the theme of Tourism and Peace, it might be useful to ask how tourism, beyond the classic slogan that it brings people together, can really contribute to peace.
Given the current context, marked by a major upsurge in conflicts in several regions of the world, as demonstrated by the latest edition of the Global Peace Index, which reports a record number of countries with a deterioration in peace in the last year since the index was created, it is fair to ask what contribution tourism, which continues to grow, can make. As the latest data from UN Tourism shows, international tourist arrivals reached 96% of pre-pandemic levels between January and July 2024.
Part of the answer undoubtedly lies in the humanist and social vision of tourism that ISTO, its members and partners share and put into practice in a series of initiatives designed to meet the challenges of exclusion and integration, of balanced regional development and of respect for local people and the natural and cultural heritage.
In this sense, the social sustainability of tourism must be better taken into account by political decision-makers, but also by all the other stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem, so that the well-being and quality of life of people - be they visitors, residents or workers - can genuinely be improved thanks to tourism.
Peace is not just a supranational issue; it is also crucial at national, regional and local levels. Reducing inequalities and ensuring access to the benefits of a whole range of services and opportunities, including leisure activities, tourism and holidays, are real assets for promoting peace.
