Delegates from more than 30 Countries to Participate in 1st IIPT European Conference Bridging the North-South Divide through Sustainable Tourism Development 21 – 24 October 2008 Leeuwarden, Netherlands

Delegates from more than 30 countries will be taking part in the 1st IIPT European Conference on Peace through Tourism being organized in partnership with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and hosted by Stenden University. The Conference, which is to be held in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, 21-24 October 2008, is in support of the UN Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Delegates from Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and the Caribbean will come together for four days to share their experiences, knowledge, insights and visions on the conference theme:

Bridging the North-South Divide through
Sustainable Tourism Development

The exponential growth of international tourism arrivals from 25 million in 1950 to a projected 1 billion in 2010 is clearly one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of our time. An increasing proportion of these arrivals are in Developing Countries. Travel and tourism is currently the main source of foreign exchange for most developing countries and at US$ 200 billion annually is more than the total of foreign aid from all governments. Tourism appears to be one of the few economic sectors able to guide a number of developing countries to higher levels of prosperity and for some to leave behind their least developed country status.

Aim of the 1st IIPT European Conference is to build on this success, and to leverage current North – South, and South – South initiatives towards sustainable tourism development, poverty reduction, and societal betterment through greater collaboration among key stakeholders.

This is the challenge to industry leaders and participants in the 1st IIPT European Conference being organized in partnership with the UN World Tourism Organization (UN WTO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and hosted by Stenden University. The Conference is in support of the UN Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The Conference Program will feature plenary sessions with Keynote Speakers as well as a series of Concurrent Sessions and workshops with case studies of “Success Stories” and “Models of Best Practice.”

Plenary sessions will consist of a unique and innovative combination of informative and inspiring Keynote addresses followed by stimulating debate among the Keynote Speakers, and interaction with conference delegates. Plenary panels will include industry leaders from government, the private sector, NGO’s, and Educators to gain insightful cross-sectoral perspectives and creative proposals for future directions and actions.

Plenary Sessions and their respective Keynote Speakers are as follows:

Plenary Session I
Global Perspectives on Bridging the North – South Divide: Sustainable Tourism Development and the UN Millennium Development Goals

Moderator: Dr. Noel Brown, President, Friends of the United Nations and Chairman, IIPT International Advisory Board

Keynote Speakers
H.E. Maha Khatib, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury, Former) UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States; Mr. Lelei Lelaulu, President, Counterpart International

Dr. Noel Brown

H.E. Maha Khatib

Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury

Lelei Lelaulu

Dr. V. Morfopoulos, Managing Director, Basic International Development Corporation (BIDC); Mr. John Hummel, Regional Senior Adviser/ Network Leader, Pro-Poor Sustainable Tourism, SNV Asia; Ms. Monique de Greeve, UK and European Director, TourismROI

Dr. V. Morfopoulos

John Hummel

Monique De Greeve

Plenary Session III
Integrating Social, Cultural, and Sports Dimensions in Bridging the North – South Divide through Sustainable Tourism Development

Mr. Yianis Evangelou, President, Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (HATTA); Mr. Robert Zimmer, President, Zimmer Group International; Ms. Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director; International Tourism Partnership, Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum; Mr. Taj Hamad, Secretary General, World Association of NGO’s (WANGO).

Yiannis Evangelou

Robert Zimmer

Lyndall De Marco

Taj Hamad

Hon. Eduardo Jonatão S. Chingunji, Ministre de l'hôtellerie et du tourisme, Republic of Angola ; Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica; Mr. Luigi Cabrini Director, Sustainable Development, UN World Tourism Organization; Dr. Tom Selänniemi, Chairman, Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism.

Hon. Eduardo S. Chingunji

Hon. Edmund Bartlett

Luigi Cabrini

Dr. Tom Selänniemi

Plenary Session V
Educational Foundations for a Collaborative Approach in Bridging the North-South Divide

Hon. Filippe Savadogo, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Communication, Burkina Faso; Ms. Johanna Fragano, President, European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA); Dr. Dallen J. Timothy, Professor of Community Resources and Development; Arizona State University, Editor of the Journal of Heritage Tourism; Dr. Irena Ateljevic, Socio-Spatial Analysis Landscape Centre Environment Science, Wageningen University, the Netherlands

Johanna Fragano

Dr. Dallen Timothy

Dr. Irena Ateljevic

MEDIA LUNCHEON
Role of the Media in Bridging the North – South Divide through Sustainable Tourism Development

Bea Broda, President, Society of American Travel Writers; Thomas Steinmetz, Publisher, eTurbo News; Sandy Dhuyvetter, Travel Talk Media;

Bea Broda

Thomas Steinmetz

Sandy Dhuyvetter

Conference Aim
Build on, expand, and leverage current North – South, and South – South initiatives towards sustainable tourism development, poverty reduction, and societal betterment.

Conference Goals
1. Provide a Forum for governments, private enterprise, donor agencies, foundations and NGO’s to debate and reach consensus on more effective models of achieving North – South and South – South collaboration towards sustainable tourism development, poverty reduction, and societal betterment.

2. Identify Models of Best Practice in North – South and South – South collaboration in achieving Sustainable Tourism Development

3. Facilitate effective knowledge transfer on Models of Best Practice and state of the art contribution of technology to Sustainable Tourism Development, Community Empowerment, and Destination Marketing.

4. Enhance the role of the Media, and the role of Culture and Sport in nurturing North – South and South-South dialogue, relationships and collaboration.

5. Engage Educators and future leaders of the industry in the debate, and in conducting innovative research that will contribute to enhanced North – South and South – South collaboration towards sustainable tourism development.

6. Identify potential synergies with other industries for sustainable wealth creation, poverty reduction, and societal betterment in the Group of 77 Countries, and particularly Least Developed Countries (LDC’s), Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDC’s), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The Conference will bring together Ministers of Tourism and senior executives from both the public and private sectors of tourism, European Union, U.N. Agencies, foundations, donor agencies, and NGOs, as well as educators, policy analysts, leading practitioners, entrepreneurs, future leaders of the industry, and senior representatives of related sectors including environment, culture, sport, and sustainable economic development.

The 1st IIPT European Conference builds on the foundations of three Global Conferences: Vancouver, Canada 1988; Montreal, Canada 1994; Glasgow, Scotland, 1999; three Global Summits in Amman, Jordan 2000, Geneva, Switzerland 2003; and Pattaya, Thailand 2005; four African Conferences: Mpumalanga Province, South Africa 2001; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 2003; Lusaka, Zambia 2005; and Kampala, Uganda 2007; and other conferences and symposia in Italy, Turkey, Greece, Australia, the Caribbean, Pakistan, Israel, United States and United Kingdom.

FOR REGISTRATION CLICK HERE

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Additional Speakers Announced for
1st European Conference on Peace through Tourism

IIPT and its partners the UN World Tourism Organization (UN WTO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are proud to announce additional speakers for the 1st IIPT European Conference on Peace through Tourism:
“Bridging the North – South Divide through Sustainable Tourism”

Speakers from diverse backgrounds and organizations include executives from public and private sector organizations, NGO’s, educators, leading practioners, entrepreneurs, future leaders of the industry and executives from related sectors including environment, culture, and sport.

Additional speakers will be announced in the days ahead.

The concurrent session speakers will present “Success Stories” and “Models of Best Practice” related to the conference theme – and workshops to discuss programs and methods by which to gain greater synergies among key stakeholders in achieving sustainable development in developing and emerging economies.

IIPT €1,000 Scholarship
Student Essay Ccompetition

A few days remain for the submission of essays for the €1,000 Scholarship to be awarded by IIPT to the inter-disciplinary team of 3 to 5 undergraduate and/or graduate students who write the best paper related to the conference topic:

‘Bridging the North-South Divide through Sustainable Tourism Development’

Length of Essay:
There are no restrictions on the paper length. However, the suggested optimal length is between 2,500 and 3,000 words. Bibliography should be included.

Eligibility:
Each member of the inter-disciplinary team must currently be enrolled as a graduate or undergraduate student through October 2008. Essay must be the result of original scholarly research of significant merit.

Submissions:
Essay Entry Deadline is 12 September 2008. Submissions in MS Word format should be sent via email to o.moufakkir@chn.nl, and a copy to iankelly@picknowl.com.au with subject: “Essay Entry.”

Award:
The winning team will be announced by 1 October 2008. Members of the winning inter-disciplinary team will have the opportunity to present their essay at the Student/Youth Leadership Forum on 21 October 2008. The €1,000 Scholarship Award, to be shared among members of the winning team, will be presented at a Special Awards Luncheon at the 1st IIPT European Conference.

FOR REGISTRATION CLICK HERE

Seven tours for 2009 have currently been designated as “World Peace Tours”:
• Jordan
• Bhutan
• Algeria/Tunisia
• South Africa
• Arabian Peninsula
• Central America
• Armenia
• Iran

Attention Members: International Institute for Peace Through Tourism has partnered with THETRADESHOW.  Plan now to attend!    Education Geared for Your Travel Specialty   With 60+ educational offerings, THETRADESHOW is the place to increase your industry knowledge and expand your expertise. Equip your business with the right mix of education, hands-on training and networking to succeed, found only at THETRADESHOW. Plug into today's hot topics with 3 full days of comprehensive education geared to empower all travel agents including: - Home-based agent training - Technology - Green travel - Cruise selling strategies - Luxury packages - Niche travel - Destination certification   Form profitable alliances with hundreds of specialized suppliers during the trade show   Secure new sales outlets during one-on-one business appointments with important exhibitors Earn up to 40 CLIA credits! Register now for only $35 PLUS receive your first choice of complimentary tickets to Orlando's best attractions. www.THETRADESHOW.org or call 1.866.870.9333

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IIPT Pleased to be Sponsor of
2008 Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference

IIPT is most pleased and proud to be a sponsor of the 2008 Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference being held in Arusha, Tanzania, December 3-5, 2008. The Conference is being organized by the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD), a nonprofit research institution based in Washington D.C and at Stanford University.

The Tanzania conference builds upon the initial international Travelers’ Philanthropy conference held at Stanford University in the USA in 2004. The three-day conference in Arusha will bring together 200-300 practitioners from socially responsible tourism businesses, experts in the field of sustainable tourism and philanthropy, community based organizations and global and regional NGOs doing development work, the United Nations and other development agencies, philanthropic foundations, government, and the media.

CESD aspires to promote and strengthen this emerging form of development assistance generated by travelers and the tourism industry by moving Travelers’ Philanthropy from a mere set of ideals to applied best practices. The Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference 2008 will provide a venue for collective learning and exchange among the group of global participants. It will facilitate discussion of the tools and capacity needed for effectively running and evaluating community projects.

More generally, the conference will build media and public interest in socially responsible travel and will include presentations on some of the leading Travelers’ Philanthropy initiatives around the world. It will also offer a range of optional safaris before and after the event, hosted by leading East Africa tour operators that include visits to community and conservation projects.

For more information, please visit: : www.travelersphilanthropyconference.org

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