Travel and Tourism, the Language of Peace

Travel and Tourism, the Language of Peace

www.johat.org

www.johat.org

David L. Edgell Sr.

School of Hospitality Leadership

East Carolina University, USA

ABSTRACT

Global travel and tourism has grown enormously over the past forty years and is

likely to continue to grow in the future. The travel and tourism industry is one of

the largest contributors to the world economy. A question that arises is: Can such

an enormous travel and tourism community utilize its economic capacity to impact

in a positive manner in helping to create a global environment that is conducive to

planting the seeds of peace? Many world leaders in the past and present have made

strong statements that support the premise that travel is the language of peace. A

major challenge is whether the current travel and tourism industry leadership has

the capacity and interest to affect positive change and advance the social, economic,

environmental and cultural well-being of local and global communities in such

a way as to plant the seeds of peace and through increased travel, transform our

society into a more peaceful world. This journal article briefly investigates certain

travel and tourism policy movements throughout history that portent that global

travel in the twenty-first century may be a major factor toward a more peaceful

world.

Keywords: Peace, Leaders, Travelers, History, Organizations, Economic, Poverty,

Political, Cultural, Social, Sustainable, International language.

“I have watched the cultures of all lands blow around my house and other winds have blown

the seeds of peace, for travel is the language of peace.”

–Mahatma Gandhi

INTRODUCTION

“Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

–The Book of Daniel 12:4Global travel and tourism has grown enormously over the past forty years and is likely to

continue to grow in the future. The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest contributors

to the world economy. According to research...