ICPTR

Voting behavior has often been used as a dependent variable in research. In this research project we used voting behavior as an independent variable. The purpose of the research was to empirically examine the effect of voting behavior on tourism perceptions in a Dutch-Moroccan context. A previous study indicated that to comprehensively study destination image in a multicultural society there is a need to examine the role of perceptions and stereotypes in mediating travel propensity. Specifically the present study sought to examine the extent to which voting behavior has an impact on destination visitation. Subsequently, Dutch respondents (N=195) were asked their perceptions of (a) people of Moroccan origin living in the Netherlands, (b) Moroccan people living in Morocco, (c) Morocco as a tourism destination, and (d) Moroccan women. These questions emerged from a prior qualitative study which indicated that Dutch travel propensity to visit Morocco was mediated by factors including their perceptions of Moroccan ‘immigrants’ residing in the Netherlands which was overwhelmingly negative.  The results of the most recent national ellections and public opinion polls attest to that. Appropriate test statistics was used accordingly to assess for differences between the two groups.

Specifically, the study considered two opposite political parties, with diverging ideologies especially with regards to immigration, citizenship and diversity: the Green Party (Greon Links) and the populist party the Freedom Party (PVV). Respondents were asked to provide their opinion about a set of statements using a Liket-Scale of 1 to 5, where 1=Strongly Disagree and 5=Strongly Agree. The results were based on a random sample of GL respondents (n=100) and PVV (n=95). The results confirm that effectively the PVV voters are less inclined to visit Morocco than their GL counterparts. Please note that this is just a snapshot of a large data set. For more information contact us.

(Click on title to see more)

Introduction
In an exploratory study by Var and Ap (1998) about the relationship between tourism and peace, the peace variable was associated with a high degree of uncertainty, with one third of respondents providing a neutral response to the statement “I believe that tourism promotes world peace”. The authors proposed that this uncertainty might have arisen from a definitional problem with the term ‘peace’. They explained that many respondents may have associated peace with an ‘absence of war’ and that the concept that would be most appropriate in the context of tourism and peace is that of ‘harmony and harmonious relations’. Therefore, a constructive discussion of peace and tourism demands no less than a definition that is less parsimonious than the ‘absence of war’…. Click Announcement to read more (more information to follow shortly).

(Tourism and peace is making progress in academia.YOUR SUPPORT IS HIGLY NEEDED!)

(Photo courtesy Dr. Marina Novelli)

This communication is based on the results of a mixed-mode survey design. The first qualitative research phase has set the ground for the quantitative research conducted in the second phase of the study (click on title to read more). For more information contact us by e-mail: omar.moufakkir@stenden.com or by phone: (00)31 582441301.

(Click on title to read more)

In a few years, the growing number of immigrants has transformed culture shock into culture unrest (Moufakkir, 2008, p.86), defined as “the context where two cultures live together, but at a level of acceptance that has developed from a state of euphoria, apathy, to annoyance, or even antagonism”, sometimes expressed verbally and even physically. In a destination image study, we found the Dutch perceptions of people of Moroccan origin living in the Netherlands to be overwhelmingly negative, confirming similar opinions expressed in the media (ref. Table 1, qualitative information). The social and political landscape of the Netherlands was infected by the murder of right wing politician Pim Fortuyn just before the national election in May 2002. Despite and/or because of his death, his party List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) won 17% of the national vote, making it the second strongest political party in the country. Besides a rising mistrust of politicians, Fortuyn’s success was attributed to the issue of ‘unsuccessful’ integration of ethnic minorities (Krouwel et al., 2006) or what Scheffer (2000) referred to as the “multi-cultural drama”. In addition to this, the murder in November 2004 of outspoken anti-Islamic opinion-leader, filmmaker Theo van Gogh, shocked the nation. In such a tragic environment, the fear of inter-ethnic polarization, as well as the need for effective measures for integration, appears to be a reality (Krouwel et al., 2006). During the March 2010 Dutch municipal elections the PVV won in Almere with 21.6 % of all votes, making it the biggest party in the city with nine seats in the municipal board. In Den Haag, winning eight seats, they came second to the PVDA (Labor Party) and became more popular than the CDA (Christian Democrats). More importantly, a public opinion poll (peiling) of 2500 voters undertaken by Synovate during the same period indicated that this ultranationalist party would be the third most important political party in the country with 24 seats compared to nine seats in 2006. The poll by Maurice de Hond, also a very well known poll group, indicated that the PVV would become the biggest party in the country with 27 seats. As was reported in the media, these results were a shock to Dutch people and to the world community, because of the reputation of the Netherlands as a multi-cultural society noted for its tolerance and multiculturalism.

The results of a study conducted by the Tourism for Peace (lectoraat) research group are (graphs below), no surprise because they simply confirm ”public opinion” perceptions about the Moroccan Allochtonen in the Netherlands which are overwhelmingly negative. The whys of this phenon is not the subject of this communication. Rather, it is noted that Dutch people who visited Morocco were found to be less prejudiced towards Moroccans than those who did not. Tourism, in the context of this study seems to reduce prejudice. Furthermore, as those who have visited Morocco appear to be less prejudiced than those who did not, it could be suggested that tourism has to some extent a positive impact on perceptions.  

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.

Your visit to The Gambia -the smiling coast of Africa- will help the Gambian economy and WILL contribute to the Gambians’ quality of life. You need to see it to believe it! http://www.visitthegambia.gm/ 

(click on title to read more)

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

However, some, if not all of the topics listed may be seen as mega-topics whose complexities are hidden in an overview approach. It may, therefore, be useful to suggest, for these, a breakdown into component parts each of which can be addressed by one or more research questions.

For example, the issue of Tourism and Poverty Alleviation/Elimination may be addressed through a range of questions, as follows:

1. How can/should poverty be defined? Can we develop a definition which identifies a central element while capturing the range of conditions (absolute to relative, local to global) by which poverty is recognised?
2. How is poverty distributed? Is there a relationship between geographical location and poverty? Does the distribution of poverty change over time?
3. How serious is the problem of poverty? What are the impacts of poverty on individual and community life quality, health and wellbeing? Is poverty a contributor to conflict and antisocial behaviour?
4. How is the problem of poverty addressed? What has been done in the past and has it been effective? What is being done now?
5. Does tourism contribute to poverty? If so, how can this be remedied?
6. How can tourism make a positive contribution? How can the beneficial impacts of tourism be optimised? Are there case studies which can provide useful examples?

With respect to Question 6, Goodwin (1998)* suggests the following:
• a focus on destination level issues – diversification, ownership, economic leakage, local employment and protection of the environment;
• meaningful consultation with and assistance in participation by the local community;
• a regulatory framework for ethical and sustainable trading;
• an effective taxation system;
• infrastructure development which serves the community as well as visitors;
• collaborative arrangements among elements of the tourist destination value chain; and
• targeted assistance from developed nation governments, NGOs and tour operators.

It is recognised that this review is far from comprehensive and the Centre invites input in the form of comments, suggestions for additional topics, research proposals and submissions to the Journal of Tourism and Peace Research from educators, travel writers, administrators and industry practitioners with an interest in how tourism may be managed to encourage peaceful relationships.

France backs partial veil ban
(Click on title to read more)

“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)

What politicians do not seem to acknowledge, or perhaps even fail to understand, is that the majority of women wearing the burqa in France are already French citizens. Most of them were born in France. The question then is: why is this phenomenon fast growing in France and other European countries and not in some Arab or Muslim countries, especially immigration sending countries including Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, or Tunisia? What makes people convert to this way of life and lifestyle in European societies? The burqa phenomenon as a product of failed integration policies is not a religious demarcation per se, but a form of new civil protest of les Beurres or the so called hyphenated-French.
Putting the thorny issue of “freedom of expression” aside, in lay terms, pragmatically, would the ban effectively reduce ongoing immigration-integration related tensions or fuel them? The ban does not seem to reach the heart of the problem. Rather, it may seem like a childish game of power, which instead of alleviating misunderstandings, would but relocate reactive tensions to other modern venues of protest or expression. The burqa (and by the way also the growing Talibanisation wear culture of men in France) should be looked at as a national identity crisis of those who use them. Curiously, when will beards be also banned in selected public places?

Why Europe needs an immigration strategy (Kofi A. Annan, 2004)
(Click on title to read more)

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:

Madam President, we are losing our country. We are losing our Netherlands. We are losing it to mass immigration. We are losing it to the inflow which is no longer in control. We are losing it to a culture of backwardness and violence. We are losing it to the Moroccan thugs who go through life scoffing and spitting and beating up innocent people. They make the schoolyards and streets unsafe. They stick up their middle finger to funeral processions, threaten and abuse ambulance staff and beat up gay people and hiss ‘whore’ to women. They happily accept our benefits, our homes, our doctors. But not our standards and values (Excerpt from a speech Geert Wilders gave in Dutch parliament, September 2008).

This is what we seldom hear and know:
All who are committed to Europe’s future, and to human dignity, should therefore take a stand against the tendency to make immigrants the scapegoats for social problems. The vast majority of immigrants are industrious, courageous, and determined. They don’t want a free ride. They want a fair opportunity for themselves and their families. They are not criminals or terrorists. They are law-abiding. They don’t want to live apart. They want to integrate, while retaining their identity (Kofi Annan, January 2004).

Clearly, the media plays a big role in affecting our judgements about immigrants and integration, and the discrepency between negative and positive news is outrageously and harfully too big.

Managing migration is not only a matter of opening doors and joining hands internationally. It also requires each country to do more to integrate [old and] new arrivals. Immigrants must adjust to their new societies – and societies need to adjust too. Only with an imaginative strategy for integrating immigrants can countries ensure that they enrich the host society more than they unsettle it (Kofi Anna, 2004).

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.

The book contains 15 chapters, an introductory chapter and a conclusion. The intention of the book is to stimulate research in the area of tourism and peace, answer and pose a few questions about the tourism and peace proposition, provide examples and case studies that could be used by policymakers where tourism qualifies as an agent of peace, offer a background material to be used in the classroom for discussions about tourism and peace -economic peace, cultural peace, social peace, and environmental peace.

It is published by CABI and will be out by April-May 2010.

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