King Abdullah II of Jordan announces Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism November 8-11, 2000, Amman, Jordan

New York City  -- In a visit to New York , His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan announced that Jordan will host a Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism, Nov. 8-11, 2000, in Amman, to be organized by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) with American Express as Title Sponsor. The world meeting, to be held shortly before the late King Hussein's birthday, will honor the monarch's legacy as a peacemaker in the Middle East and his commitment to expanding tourism to the region as a means of building a lasting peace. In making the announcement, His Majesty King Abdullah II said, "The peaceful environment that we enjoy in Jordan today makes my country a natural home for Global Summit 2000. Through the Summit, we build bridges to connect mankind and recognize the importance of understanding the diverse cultures that we are today. The Summit is dedicated to the commitment my late father King Hussein made to instill mutual understanding and peace among people in this region and in the global village. For Jordan, the travel industry is a vitally important dimension of sustainable growth. It can be the engine to move ahead as the new millennium dawns." The Summit plans were announced at a press conference with Harvey Golub, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company, who will deliver a keynote address at the Summit. His Excellency Akel Biltaji, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Louis D'Amore, founder and president of IIPT were on hand, along with Michael Stolowitzky, American Express Director of International Business Development. Mr. Golub said, "American Express is honored to play a major role in the Global Summit. While it's obvious that peace makes a difference for the travel and tourism industry, it's exciting to think that travel and tourism can also make a difference for peace." "We believe that tourism can have a profound impact on creating a climate for peace by generating economic growth and stable employment. Tourism also educates travelers about other cultures, thereby fostering understanding. While world leaders often meet to discuss opportunities for peace, it's rare that they would view a single industry as playing such a powerful role in sustaining peace. This Global Summit will demonstrate that the travel industry has a serious commitment to fostering peace through regional cooperation." King Abdullah has personally invited world leaders who are dedicated to building peace to participate in the Summit. Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, currently Israel's Minister for Regional Cooperation and former Prime Minister, has already accepted the King's invitation to speak. H.E. Biltaji said, "We are truly honored by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism's dedication of the summit to King Hussein, and we applaud the leadership role that American Express and other travel and tourism leaders have played in building the bridges to peace through regional tourism promotion." Louis D'Amore, founder and president of IIPT, said the Summit theme will be, "Building a Culture of Peace Through Tourism." He said the primary aims of the event were to demonstrate support of the world's largest industry for continuation of the peace process in the Middle East and other regions of the world; build global awareness for tourism as an engine for economic growth that helps establish a climate for peace; to launch a series of millennium projects focused on peace through tourism; and to lead an initiative in support of the United Nation's International Year for the Culture of Peace. The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organization endorse the Summit. Twenty prestigious international organizations have become founding members of a Coalition of Partners for World Peace Through Tourism. Among them are the Africa Travel Association, Caribbean Tourism Organization, European Travel Commission, International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, International Federation of Women Travel Organizations, Middle East and Mediterranean Travel and Tourism Association, Professional Innkeepers International, Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped, Society of Incentive Travel Executives, The International Tourism Exchange, Universal Federation of Travel Agents' Association and others. Each partner is committed to a Millennium Project that contributes to the vision of "Tourism as a Global Peace Industry." The projects will all be launched at the Global Summit. Summit sponsors, in addition to Title Sponsor, American Express, include Gold Sponsor - Air Harbour Technologies; Silver Sponsor - Archeology Magazine, International Traders, MÖvenpick Hotels & Resorts, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Zara Investments; Bronze Sponsors - b-there.com and Travel World News. The IIPT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of environment, preservation of heritage, and a peaceful, sustainable world. Royal Jordanian Airlines is the official air carrier for the Summit; Grand Hyatt Amman is the Summit Headquarter Hotel and International Traders, Amman, Conference Manager. Back to News Bureau International Institute for Peace Through Tourism