A critical perspective on peace through tourism

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A critical perspective on peace through tourism

• Freya Higgins-Desbiolles
• School of Management
• UniSA

2
Introduction

• Tourisms many positive contributions- economic,
  social, cultural, ecological spiritual
• Contemporary discourse focuses on economic
  business domains to the exclusion of tourisms
  social values
• As early as Thomas Cook in the mid-1800s, tourism
  has been noted as a great beneficial social
  force ( Turner Ash, 1976). I am trying to
  revive this view.

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Louis DAmores Dimensions of Peace through
Tourism

• Inspired by the multiple meanings of the Russian
  word mir- which means the universe, the Earth,
  human race, peace, tranquillity, peace between
  peoples states, freedom from war DAmore seeks
  a positive multidimensional definition of the
  concept
• Peace as peace within ourselves, peace with other
  people, peace between nations, peace with nature,
  peace with universe, peace with our God (DAmore
  1988)

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The International Institute For Peace Through
Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization
dedicated to fostering facilitating tourism
initiatives which contribute to international
understanding cooperation, an improved quality
of environment, the preservation of heritage,
through these initiatives, helping to bring
about a peaceful sustainable world. It is
based on a vision of the world's largest
industry, travel tourism - becoming the
world's first global peace industry the
belief that every traveler is potentially an
"Ambassador for Peace. A primary goal of IIPT is
to mobilize the travel tourism industry as a
leading force for poverty reduction.
                                             
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International Institute for Peace through Tourism

• IIPT global peace parks
• Credo of the peaceful traveller
• Conferences
• Partnerships with industry on initiatives like
  the charity just a drop, Pro-poor tourism
• IIPT Peace awards
• World Peace travel agency
• IIPT consultancy wing

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Critique

• Sustainability pro-poor rhetoric has been
  diluted as part of a PR offensive by powerful
  agencies such as World Travel Tourism Council
  IIPT seems to be collaborating on this agenda
• Examination of the membership of Board of
  Directors Advisory Group suggests it has been
  subject to corporate capture- it has
  representatives of tourism boards, tourism
  agencies powerful politicians.
• The second IIPT African Conference on Peace
  through Tourism received scathing comments from
  invited speaker Navaya ole Ndaskoi, Coordinator
  of Indigenous Rights for Survival, who described
  the gathering as a brutal freak show for money
  in a letter rejecting the invitation (Alcantara,
  2003). Amongst other criticisms, Ndaskoi
  challenged the hypocrisy of promoting a pro-poor
  agenda while using a five star venue in Dar es
  Salaam to hold the conference (Ndaskoi, 2003).

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My understanding

• Tourism industry responded to the
  anti-globalisation movement through concerted
  public relations campaign liberalisation with
  a human face in which pro-poor tourism and peace
  through tourism give them good publicity to
  overshadow the exploitation degradation of
  people environments that tourism brings- this
  is intended to prevent regulation limits

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Justice Tourism

• Tourism is inherently a justice issue (Fennell,
  2006 102) with its differential impacts on
  developing and developed communities. Justice
  tourism has recently emerged as a phenomenon
  worthy of further analysis.

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Justice Tourism Principles

• Builds solidarity between visitors and those
  visited
• Promotes mutual understanding and relationships
  based on equality, sharing and respect
• Supports self-sufficiency and self-determination
  of local communities and
• Maximises local economic, cultural and social
  benefits (Scheyvens 2002).

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Example of Justice Tourism GLOBAL EXCHANGEs
REALITY TOURS US-Mexico Border Day of the
Dead/Dia de los MuertosOctober 31, 2004 -
November 03, 2004 Ireland - The North of
Ireland A Lasting Peace - with Justice? August
01, 2005 - August 15, 2005 Afghanistan Women
Making ChangeJune 12, 2005 - June 21, 2005
Brazil World Social Forum 2005- Another World
is PossibleJanuary 21, 2005 - February 01, 2005
Palestine/Israel Fact Finding
DelegationOctober 17, 2004 - October 28, 2004
Russia - the Former USSR Russia - A Changing
EmpireJune 10, 2005 - June 24, 2005
                                                
http//www.globalexchange.org/tours/index.html
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International Society for Ecology Culture
Reciprocity in Tourism

• See http//www.isec.org.uk/ladakh.htmleducationa
  ndculturalexchange

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Evidence from Research

• Kellys study of Community Aid Abroads One World
  Tours study tours provides insights into the
  alternative tourism consumer- but it is CAAs
  Community Leadership Tour which is most exemplary
• McGehee Normans (2002) study of Earthwatch
  argues that these tours provide social networks,
  consciousness-raising, awareness of the concept
  the personal is political and fosters social
  solidarity leading to global citizenship

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Justice tourism takes on unfair globalisation

• Anti-globalisation activists -better called
  global justice advocates- have gathered for a
  series of annual meetings in order to challenge
  the structures dynamics of unjust globalisation
  since 2001 under the title the World Social Forum
  (WSF)
• The 2004 WSF convened in Mumbai, India placed
  tourism on the agenda for the first time at a
  Global Summit on Tourism. The theme was Who
  really benefits from tourism? The summit issued
  a call to democratise tourism!. One NGO
  participant, the Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism
  (ECOT) called for a tourism that is pro-people
  (ECOT, 2003).

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Tourism Interventions Group

• Those gathered at WSF 2004 formed the Tourism
  Interventions Group (TIG) which declared
• Democracy, transparency and corporate and
  governmental accountability in tourism will be
  placed high on the agenda for concerted action
  and strategic interventions. We look forward to
  working in solidarity with local community
  representatives, activists and researchers from
  various parts of the world to strengthen our
  struggle and develop strategies for a tourism
  that is equitable, people-centred, sustainable,
  ecologically sensible, child-friendly and
  gender-just. (TIG, 2004)

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The Promise of Tourism

• Before the advent of the neoliberal era, tourism
  was dedicated to establishing a New International
  Economic Order (Asher 1985)
• The Manila Declaration of 1980 held that world
  tourism can only flourish if based on equity
  and if its ultimate aim is the improvement of the
  quality of life and the creation of better living
  conditions for all peoples
• It expected tourism to help to eliminate the
  widening economic gap between developed and
  developing countries

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Inayatullahs tourism checklist

• How does tourism affect the distribution of
  wealth? Does tourism create conditions where
  economic growth is sustaining?
• Does tourism reduce structural violence (systemic
  poverty, ill-health and racism ) or does it
  contribute to further impoverishment of the
  periphery?
• Does tourism enhance individual social peace?

• Does tourism create the possibilities for
  cultural pluralism? Can knowledge of the Other
  reduce intolerance, creating the possibility of a
  multicultural peaceful world?
• Does tourism help create economic democracy?
• Is tourism progressive? Does it use resources
  progressively, from physical to mental to
  cultural-spiritual? (1995)

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The Ultimate Promise of Tourism

• Cohen and Kennedy (2000) contend that tourism
• contributes to the growth of globalism a
  more intense feeling of common membership of the
  human collectivity. It does this by exposing us
  directly to a multicultural world where the
  boundaries between societies and between insiders
  and outsiders are becoming increasingly blurred.

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Stilwells Model Can we apply this to tourism?
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Conclusion

• Justice tourism is about challenging this system
  engaging with alternative visions of global
  order that could be more just sustainable.

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References

• Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism (2003) Concept
  paper for World Social Forum. Unpublished
  document. Hong Kong ECOT.
• Fennell, D. A. (2006) Tourism Ethics. Clevedon,
  UK Channel View.
• Global Exchange (no date) Reality tours. Online
  documents at URL lthttp//www.globalexchange.org/to
  urs/index.htmlgt 6 June 2005.

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• International Society for Ecology and Culture (no
  date) The Ladakh project. Online documents at URL
  lthttp//www.isec.org.uk/ladakh.htmlgt 30 June
  2005.
• McGehee, N. Norman, W. C. (2002). Alternative
  tourism as impetus for consciousness-raising.
  Tourism Analysis, 6, 239-251.
• Oxfam Australia (no date) Community leadership
  program. Online documents at URL
  lthttp//www.oxfam.org.au/CLP/index.htmlgt 2
  November 2005.

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• Poon, A. (1993). A global transformation. In A.
  Poon. Tourism, technology and competitive
  strategies (pp. 85-92). Wallingford, UK CAB
  International.
• Scheyvens, R. (2002) Tourism for Development
  Empowering Communities. Harlow, England
  Prentice-Hall.
• Sklair, L. (2002) Globalization, Capitalism and
  its Alternatives. Oxford Oxford University
  Press.
• Stilwell, F. (2002). Political economy The
  contest of economic ideas. Melbourne Oxford
  University Press.
• Tourism Interventions Group (2004) Who really
  benefits from tourism? Statement of Concern at
  the 4th WSF. Online documents at URL
  lthttp//www.e-alliance.ch/media/media-4589.docgt
  4 April 2005.

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• This presentation is based on the academic
  analysis presented in
• Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2008) Justice tourism and
  alternative globalisation. Journal of
  Sustainable Tourism, in press.