African

African

SECOND IIPT AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON PEACE THROUGH TOURISM

SECOND IIPT AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON PEACE THROUGH TOURISM
Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania, December 7-12, 2003
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Dear Sirs,

The AAPSO Permanent Secretariat thanks you for the invitation. We are forwarding the following remarks to be put into your consideration expressing AAPSO's interest in the subject of the Conference.


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AAPSO would like to stress that it shares the view that the power of tourism is a leading force for poverty reduction in Africa. Touristic richnesses are immense in this continent. They offer special African characteristics worth to be discovered, They give a lot of opportunities to be used. If fairly, equitably and democratically managed they undoubtedly constitute factors of development, social progress and peace.

But Tourism for Peace can not be promoted, developed, enhanced without substantial and sustained improvement of political, economic and social environment, without creating situation conducive to attract people from abroad, to mutual understanding between them. Viable atmosphere should be created in order for these people to enjoy safely the core values of countries they are visiting, their national traditions and cultures, the features of their national specificities. All that is needed is stability, security and decent style of living. Under such circumstances, people will be more enthusiastic in giving impetus to the development of Tourism for Peace.

The issue of poverty reduction is not a mere matter of growth rate which doesn't reflect the very nature of the roots of this poverty on the level of population in general. For Tourism for Peace to be successful it needs to develop touristic infrastructures which create job and in doing so, huge expenses for armaments should instead be directed to the health, education and employment programmes.. It is necessary to set up environment-friendly projects to avoid destruction of forests; to undertake equitable distribution of wealth to the benefice of all members of society; to promote participatory democracy focusing mainly on women and youth capacity to take part in the development of production sectors of the national economy; to adopt a policy of Nature preservation by including the notion of Tourism for Peace in the educational programmes at all degrees.

All these constitute challenges which should be tackled in order for Tourism to serve Peace in Africa.

The Permanent Secretariat of AAPSO thanks you for your kind consideration and wishes the Conference a very big success.


Dr.Morad Ghaleb, President
Mr.Nouri Abdel Razzak Hussein, Secretary General