ICPTR

In The Gambia you will find a mediterranean environment with an African hospitality that will exceed your expectations. A year-round sun destination with a touch of wind that takes you away from your daily routine to a relaxed beach atmosphere where service excellence is as natural as the face of the Smiling Coast. This young beach destination flavored with touches of old ethnic cultural activities will welcome you, relax you, and energise YOU. All in a safe environment, day or night, the hospitality of the Gambian people, whether working in the tourism industry or not, will make you feel special, not only because they understand the importance of tourism to their economy, but also because they are proud people and people proud of their country. They will make you come back.

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The Call for Contributions to the CABI publication, Tourism, Progress and Peace, listed
25 topics deemed relevant to the proposition that tourism can help in bringing about a more peaceful world (Table 1). The same list may be referred to by potential contributors to the new Journal of Tourism and Peace Research.

Table 1: Topics relevant to peace through tourism

Tourism and globalization
Ethical and responsible tourism
Tourism as a social force
Tourism and poverty alleviation/elimination
Industry initiatives
Peace museums
Attitude change
Travel writing (eg, the tourist as witness)
Reconciliation tourism
Diaspora tourism
Tourism and the media
Tourism and community development
Success stories and case studies Conflict and tourism
Tourism as a political force
International initiatives (eg, codes of ethics)
International cooperation
Festivals and events
Peace parks
Volunteer tourism
Tourism and human rights
Tourism borders
Cross-cultural behavior and understanding
Tourism ethics
Tourism and humanitarian relief

France backs partial veil ban
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“France has backed a partial ban on the wearing of Muslim veils in public. A parliamentary inquiry recommended they be made illegal in all places of public services, including public transport. It also said residence cards and citizenship should be refused to anyone with visible signs of a “radical religious practice.” To read the whole article visit: http://news.uk.msn.com/world/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=151891504.
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Why Europe needs an immigration strategy (Kofi A. Annan, 2004)
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One of the biggest tests for the enlarged European Union, in the years and decades to come, will be how it manages the challenge of immigration. If European societies rise to this challenge, immigration will enrich and strengthen them. If they fail to do so, the result may be declining living standards and social division.

The face of immigration and hospitality has changed, and so have its challenges and opportunities. There is no need for argumentation; a quick scan in the media shows the actual immigration-integration climate in major Western European countries, be it in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweeden, Switzerland, Norway, Greece, the UK, Austria or Belgium. Although there is much ado in some countries than others, the overwhelming climate and discourse is rather negative. This is what we hear, what we have become conditioned to hearing, and what we most often expected to hear:

Book cover Tourism Progress & Peace[1]
Edited by Omar Moufakkir and Ian Kelly

Tourism has the potential to contribute to world peace, and through appropriate management, to address current realities such as globalization, migration, conflicts, prejudices and poverty. By providing a range of international perspectives and case studies, this book discusses the interrelation between peace, conflict resolution and tourism, the role of industry and the role of the individual, and tourism as a catalyst for change and development. Exploring the ideas that there is more to peace than the absence of war and that there is more to tourism than economic interests, this book is the first of its kind and an essential resource for researchers, students and policymakers in tourism and related subjects.

Join Sandy Dhuyvetter in her visits to Palestine
Sandy is meeting with Palestinian tourism officials and also with ordinary Palestinian citizens to talk about the importance of tourism in Palestine and promote tourism in the Holy Land.
Tourism is about bringing people together and about sharing. It is also about economic development. That is, it is very important for visitors to Palestine to make sure that their money is spent in the local community. Even if you are just a day-trip visitor from Israel, make sure to participate. Your smallest economic contribution is a gesture that will certainly make a few smiles and reach a few hearts.
To connect with Sandy in her incredible journey to Palestine visit
http://www.traveltalkmedia.com/archives_dec20_09.html#1002
Also visit The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities http://www.visit-palestine.com/
From the ICPTR, we wish all the Palestinians Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Safe Holidays.
Merry Christmas Palestine

Controversies in Tourism
Editors: Omar Moufakkir (Stenden University)
Peter Burns (University of Brighton)
Tourism is a dynamic global phenomenon: an agent of change and a significant factor in social, cultural, and technical evolution. Such evolution, especially those driven by tourism, are almost certainly followed by a variety of induced controversies. A look at the current spectrum of tourism studies illustrates the importance, timeliness, and even necessity to set these controversies out for serious debate beyond the simplicities of journalistic headlines. A critical analysis of the contexts, causes, and consequences is required. Failure to comprehend the basis of a tourism controversy may (more than not) produce myopic tourism development policies of the sort seen in countries ranging from Turkey to Kenya. Click to read more
call for proposals1

Sandy Dhuyvetter Executive producer asked Dr. Moufakkir a few questions about the tourism and peace progress and book. Click on archives, then on segment 4-5 to listen to the interview.
archives_oct11_09http://www.traveltalkmedia.com/archives_oct11_09.html#1004

I am very pleased to publish the list of the editorial board members of the new journal -The Journal of Tourism and Peace Research. The selection was based on academics, scholars and researchers who have an interest in the topic and have written about it.

We are looking forward to your contributions for advancing our understanding of the tourism and peace propositions.

Omar Moufakkir,
Editor in-Chief
The Journal of Peace and Tourism Research
www.icptr.com
omar.moufakkir@stenden.com
(00)31-58 2441301

To go or not to go?
Political tourism has emerged as a form of political consumerism where individuals use their voice or buying power to boycott or buycott a tourism product for the purpose of either supporting or refuting a government or corporate practice.
While the lens of the two strategies –boycotting or buycotting- is different, the goal is, nevertheless, the same. Both protagonists look at social justice from the prism of their ethical value system, hoping that their voices or actions will impact the lives of those concerned (Micheletti et al., 2006). However, their impacts are disputed, and depend on the context where the political, social or environmental practice is taking place. Besides the moral dilemma of tourism boycotting and buycotting (e.g., Holden, 2003; Glaesser, 2003). In a tourism context we ask: how lasting and successful is tourism boycotting? Within the tourism and peace proposition, in the Israeli-Palestinian context, a context of 60 years of conflict, internally tainted with fear and suffering, and externally painted with boycotts and buycotts, we ask ourselves: of the two lenses, which is the most peaceful, realistic and pragmatic, 60 years later?