January 2005 Issue

Zambia Declares World’s First

‘National Peace through Tourism Week’

His Excellency Mr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa SC, President, Republic of Zambia, has declared the week of February 6 to 12, 2005, “National Peace through Tourism Week.” The week was selected to correspond with the 3rd IIPT African Conference being held in Lusaka, February 6-11, 2005, and to jump start the “Visit Zambia 2005” Campaign.

While the City of Vancouver declared a ‘Peace through Tourism Week’ in 1988 in connection with IIPT’s First Global Conference: Tourism – A Vital Force for Peace, Zambia is the first nation in the world to declare a ‘National Peace through Tourism Week.’

PHOTO: His Excellency H.E. Levy P. Mwanawasa,

President of the Republic of Zambia.

2005 represents a very special year for Zambia that includes:

• The 150th anniversary of Dr. Livingstone’s sighting of Victoria Falls, one of the world’s three great falls

• Centenary Year of the Town of Livingstone

• 100th birthday of U.N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold - who died in a plane crash in Ndola, Zambia while on a Peace Keeping Mission to the Congo in 1961

Zambia’s ‘National Peace through Tourism’ Week will pay tribute to each of these milestones.  The week begins with a parade on Sunday in Lusaka – and the issuing of a “Peace through Tourism Week” Proclamation to be carried by the media throughout Zambia.  Also on Sunday, a commemorative ceremony will be held at the Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Site, Ndola, Zambia.

The week will close with the dedication of an IIPT International Peace Park at Victoria Falls, on Saturday, February 12, 2005 and a Peace Concert in Livingstone that evening.  Efforts are being made to have all nations adjacent to each of the world’s great falls, Iquasu Falls, South America; Niagara Falls, North America; and Victoria Falls, Africa – each dedicate a Peace Park on the same day, February 12, 2005 – sending a message of peace, solidarity, and hope for the future across three continents – and throughout the world.  These would include the countries of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay (Iquasu Falls); Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York, USA; and Zimbabwe and Zambia (Victoria Falls).

The 3rd IIPT African Conference will take place between these events beginning on Sunday, February 6th through Friday, February 11th. The Conference is being organized by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) in partnership with the Africa Tourism Association (ATA) and hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Republic of Zambia.

Theme and Aim

Theme of the conference is: “Tourism: Pathway to a Peaceful and Prosperous Africa.” Its aim is to develop a 21st century vision for African tourism and a beginning strategy to achieve that vision.

Conference Goals

∙ Provide a forum for leading government, industry, donor agency and NGO decision makers, as well as leading educators and practitioners, to debate and reach consensus on a 21st Century vision for African Tourism;

∙ Facilitate the development of strategic alliances to achieve that vision;

∙ Demonstrate elements of that vision with “Success Stories” and Models of “Best Practice;”

∙ and Continue building a global awareness of Africa as a 21st Century destination.

Within this context, plenary sessions of the conference will focus on the Role of Tourism in Poverty Reduction; Healing the Wounds of Conflict; Marketing of Africa to Europe, Asia, North America – and within the African Continent. Plenary sessions will also include a debate on future directions for the airline industry serving Africa, and the Social and Environmental Dimensions of Tourism.

PHOTO: Hon. Patrick K. Kalifungwa M.P., Minister of Tourism,
Environment and Natural Resources, Republic of Zambia.

Keynote Speakers

Confirmed Keynote Speakers include: Peter Davies, CEO, SN Brussels Airways; Sir Jayantilal Chande, Board of Trustees, International Rotary Foundation; DeVilliers Botha, Executive Manager, SA Operations, Development Bank of Southern Africa; Hon. Zakia Hamdani Meghji MP, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, United Republic of Tanzania and Immediate Past President, Africa Travel Association; Hon. Fernando Sumbana Junior, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Mozambique; Hon. Eduardo Jonatao Chingunji, Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Republic of Angola; H.E. Dr. Chernor Jalloh, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Sierre Leone; Anastasia Mann, Chairman, Corniche Travel Group; Geoffrey Lipman, Special Advisor to Secretary General, World Tourism Organizatiom; Lyndall DeMarco, Executive Director, International Tourism Partners, Youth Career Initiative, and Digital Partnerships, Prince of Wales Leadership Forum Ulrich Bunjes, President and CEO, International Youth Hostels Federation; Roger Kacou, Senior Vice President, Hotel InterContinental, and others.

Topics

Topics to be discussed include the role of Tourism in Poverty Reduction,Healing the Wounds of Conflict, Creating Greater Awareness of Africa as a 21st Century African Destination, the role of Aviation in a 21st Century Vision of African Tourism - and a number of concurrent sessions addressing topics ranging from Community Tourism – Micro Enterprise and SME Development - Philanthropic Tourism – Community Capacity Building - Cultural Tourism – Sport for Peace and Development – through to Accessible Travel for All.

Educators Forum and Youth Leadership

As with the 2nd IIPT African Conference in Dar es Salaam, the Conference will also feature an Educators Forum and Youth Leadership Forum. For more information, please contact Amy Sotherland, for the Educators Forum, Email: amy@iipt.org; and for the Youth Leadership Forum, Nishit Charadva, Email: ncharadva@yahoo.com.

Special Luncheons

U.N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold will be honored as a ‘Man of Peace’ at a Special Luncheon being hosted by the Swedish Embassy on Monday.

The Universal Peace Award will be presented to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, First President of the Republic of Zambia, by the World Association of Non-Government Organizations (WANGO) at an Award Luncheon on Tuesday.

Participants

The Conference will bring together Ministers of Tourism, senior African executives from both the public and private sectors of tourism, NGOs, donor agencies, policy makers, leading educators and practitioners, entrepreneurs, future leaders of the industry, and senior representatives of related sectors including environment, culture, sport and economic development.

Some 350 delegates are expected from 25 - 30 countries including several Ministers of Tourism, CEO’s, and senior executives from governments, donor agencies, private sector organizations, and NGO’s. The Conference Program also includes an Educators Forum and Youth Leadership Forum.

Outcome

The Conference will seek to arrive at a consensus for “A 21st Century Vision for African Tourism” with a beginning strategy to achieve that vision which will be broadly distributed.

Sponsors

Sponsors include the Development Bank of Southern Africa (Title Sponsor), InterContinental Hotels Africa, United Nation Development Program (UNDP), Swedish Embassy of Zambia, U.S. Embassy of Zambia, and World Association of NGO’s (WANGO).

Conference Registration

Persons interested in participating in this historic conference can access registration forms on line at www.iipt.org.

  IIPT Special ‘Just a Drop’

Appeal for  Tsunami Disaster Survivors

In the days immediately following the tsunami disaster in South Asia, the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) launched a special ‘Just a Drop’ fundraising campaign to assist in bringing water to survivors.

The response has been most encouraging. IIPT chapters in the Indian Ocean, Australia, and the Caribbean have each launched campaigns in support of the appeal.  In the U.S. and Canada, special appeals have been launched by the IIPT Northwest Chapter (Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia) – and on the East Coast in the State of Vermont with the support of the State of Vermont Department of Tourism.

In San Francisco, Joie de Vivre’s Hotel Carlton is supporting the special IIPT ‘Just a Drop’ campaign by donating 10% of the room rate from all reservations booked directly with the hotel.

Here at IIPT World Headquarters in Stowe, Vermont, itself a resort community, a campaign is underway with the support of the Stowe Area Association and Stowe Reporter, the community’s weekly newspaper. Stowe area resorts, inns, restaurants and retail enterprises, as well as Stowe residents, are responding generously as a demonstration of solidarity with the devastated communities of South Asia.

PHOTO: Fiona Jeffrey, Founder and Chairman,
'Just a Drop', congratulates IIPT for its collaboration in

‘Just a Drop’ initiatives at the recent IIPT center-stage

event at World Travel Market, London

The appeal is also being joined by IIPT’s International Student and Youth Leadership Network, IIPT’s Global Educators Network, and other IIPT networks, as well as the IIPT Coalition of Partners of more than 30 prestigious international organizations. The World Airline Clubs Association (WACA), and International Federation of Women Travel Organizations (IFWTO) have been among the first to respond.

 Contributions:

Persons and/or organizations wishing to make a contribution to this special appeal can make their checks payable to:

IIPT – Just a Drop

and mail to:

International Institute for Peace through Tourism

685 Cottage Club Rd. #13

Stowe, VT 05672

USA

Contributions can also be made directly on IIPT’s website: www.iipt.org.

Click on “Donations Invited” – top left.  All donations received on our website through March 31, 2005 will be added to the IIPT ‘Just a Drop’ Appeal.

Persons wishing to wire funds may contact Deb Lindemer, campaign coordinator, for detailed information regarding wire transfers.         

Tel. +802 253.8671; fax: 802 253.2645; email: deb@iipt.org.

Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.  A letter acknowledging your contribution for tax deduction purposes will be sent on request.  All funds raised go straight to the work of the appeal. 

As so many of the coastal areas hit by the tsunami are major tourism destinations – your contribution will send a message of support and caring – and be a symbol of solidarity with our colleagues in these areas during these difficult times.  Your generosity is very much appreciated.

 About ‘Just a Drop’

‘Just a Drop’ is the charity appeal of the global travel and tourism industry, organized by World Travel Market and Reed Travel Exhibitions. With the vision and leadership of its Founder and Chairman, Fiona Jeffery, ‘Just a Drop’ raises money to provide clean water, sanitation and health education programs for thousands of children and their families from countries of Africa to countries of South East Asia. IIPT adopted ‘Just a Drop’ as its official charity in 2002.

 Just a Drop and Travel Weekly have gone into partnership and are doing a major fundraising effort at the Globe Awards this week. As well, ‘Just a Drop’ has been offered a plane to take supplies to the region in collaboration with ‘Save the Children Fund;’ and another ‘Just a Drop’ partner,

‘Sante’, a bottled water company in France, has flown a container of water to the region this past week.

About IIPT

The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering travel and tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, and poverty reduction; and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world.  It is founded on a vision of the world’s largest industry, travel and tourism – becoming the world’s first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveler is potentially an “Ambassador for Peace.” (www.iipt.org)

For more information:

IIPT Website: www.iipt.org; Tel. +802  253.2658, Fax: +802  253.2645;

Email: info@iipt.org

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