October - Special Edition 2013

IIPT 25th Anniversary World Travel Market Event to Support WWI Centenary

“No More War”

The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) will proudly commemorate the 25th anniversary of its First Global Conference: Tourism – A Vital Force for Peace, Vancouver 1988 in support of the “Great War” Centenary with its theme of “No More War.” The commemorative event will be on the:

World Travel Market’s Platinum Suite Stage

Tuesday, 5 November from 14.00 – 15.00

Mr. Peter De Wilde, CEO of Visit Flanders, representing the Government of Flanders. will be one of the featured speakers.

Other featured speakers include key leaders of the travel and tourism industry who will share their perspectives on “Building a Culture of Peace through Tourism” in support of the World War I Centenary theme: “No More War.”  Confirmed speakers include: Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO Secretary General; David Scowsill, President, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); Mok Singh, Immediate Past President, Skal International; and Geoffrey Lipman, President, International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), and Martin Craigs, President, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Peter DeWilde, CEO of Visit Flanders. Speakers will share their respective perspectives on “Building a Culture of Peace through Tourism” in support of the Great War Centenary theme “No More War.”

Dr. Taleb Rifai

David Scowsill

Mok Singh

Geoffrey Lipman

Martin Craig

The 25th Anniversary commemorative event will honor members of the travel and tourism industry who have made a significant contribution to promoting a “Culture of Peace through Tourism.”

IIPT is also proud to announce that award winning singer-song writer, Alston Koch will join us on stage to perform an original song for the first time.
 

Co- moderators will be Fiona Jeffery OBE - Former Chairman, World Travel Market and Founder and Chairman, Just a Drop; and Anita Mendiratta, Founder & Managing Director, CACHET Consulting.

Fiona Jeffery OBE

Anita Mendiratta

IIPT Founder and President, Louis D'Amore said, “IIPT is most proud to support the Great War Centenary with its theme of ‘No More War’ – and to welcome the foremost leaders of the travel and tourism industry to our 25th anniversary event. As one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries, the collective voice of travel and tourism leaders can be a powerful force for peace and justice in the 21st century.”

“And as well, we are most pleased in having this opportunity to acknowledge individuals and organizations who have substantially contributed to building a ‘Culture of Peace through Tourism’ and to thank them for advancing the IIPT vision of travel and tourism becoming the ‘World’s first Global Peace Industry’ – an industry that promotes and supports the belief that every traveler is potentially and ‘Ambassador for Peace.’ ”

The 1988 Vancouver Conference was a watershed event for the travel and tourism industry introducing for the first time the concept of Sustainable Tourism, four years prior to the Rio Summit -  and a new “higher purpose of tourism” paradigm that includes the key role of travel and tourism in:

- Promoting international understanding

- Collaboration among nations

- Protecting the environment and preserving biodiversity

- Enhancing cultures and valuing heritage

- Sustainable development for all

- Poverty reduction and

- Reconciliation and healing wounds of conflict

Please join us at:

World Travel Market Platinum Suites 3 & 4

Tuesday, 5 November from 14.00 – 15.00

IIPT South Asia Panel at World Travel Market: Promoting Regional Collaboration

The IIPT South Asia panel at World travel Market will feature both public and private sector tourism industry leaders sharing their views on promoting regional collaboration towards sustainable tourism, friendship and peace. The panel will take place at World Travel Market:

Wednesday, 6 November from14:00 to 15:00

South Gallery 17

Theme of the session is

Building Bridges of Collaboration for Sustainable Tourism Development in South Asia

Featured speakers  will be: Mr. Thuji D. Nadik, Acting Director General, Tourism Council of Bhutan; Mr. Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Honorable Minister of Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir, India; Mr. Sushil Ghimire, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation, Nepal; Mr. Zia Haider Rizvi, Skal Pakistan, and Chairman, Scandia Limited; and Carl Vaz, Skal India, and Chairman & CEO of Charson Advisory Services Pvt Ltd. Geoffrey Lipman, President, International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) will moderate the panel.

Thuji Nadik	Ghulam Ahmed Mir	Sushil Ghimire
Zia Haider Rizvi	Carl Vaz	Geoffrey Lipman

The World Travel and Tourism Council projects that South Asia will have the strongest growth in Travel & Tourism’s direct contribution to GDP in the coming years with a growth rate of 6.7%. Their ten year outlook is that South Asia will outperform all other world sub-regions with a 7.2% growth rate driven by increasing wealth in the middle classes.

The South Asia tourism leaders will share their ideas regarding collaborative strategies that will ensure this projected growth will maximize tourism’s social and economic benefits to local communities; protect and enhance the environment; and nurture the potential for tourism, culture, and sport in promoting a “Culture of Peace” and friendship throughout the region.

A particular focus will be on promoting cross border travel between India and Pakistan that contributes to a ‘culture of peace.’

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