Analyzing the Peace through Tourism Concept: The Challenge for Educators

It is fair to say that tourism has become into one of the largest and faster growing industries of the planet. The tourism sector represents 3-5% of the GDP, jobs and investment in first world countries, and up to 30% in developing countries. As tourism continues to gain economic importance as a source of foreign exchange, so does the debate about its positive and negative effects in contemporary literature. There are several authors stating that international traveling promotes understanding and trust among people from different backgrounds. This line of thinking has brought up to surface the concept of Peace through Tourism. Sometimes regarded as an over-statement, this concept is a worth mentioning topic of debate. The present paper discusses both views on the subject; the supporting arguments defending it and the arguments stating that it is rather a naive conception of what tourism really is. The aim is to clarify the real scope of the notion of Peace through Tourism and propose a rationale and working concept for tourism educators. In addition, the paper presents some of the challenges that still lay ahead for tourism educators dealing with this topic.