I am proud to be here as the world prepares for the 18th Olympic Games in Greece – the original home of the Olympics some 3,000 years ago…
I am proud to be here as the world prepares for the 18th Olympic Games in Greece – the original home of the Olympics some 3,000 years ago – birthplace of the Olympic spirit of peace, friendship and cooperation among nations, Founder and President of the US-based International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) said during a press conference held at Zappion Hall last Monday.
It is in this same spirit of peace, friendship and cooperation that IIPT was founded in 1986 – the UN International Year of Peace, he said, indicating that the institute was created as a response to tensions between East and West, between the have and have-not regions of the world, and terrorism which had seriously affected the world`s travel industry.
Based on the philosophy that the travel and tourism industry – the world`s largest industry – could become the world`s first peace industry and that every traveler is potentially an `ambassador for peace,` IIPT has made great progress in implementing its ideas.
The Thesssaloniki Declaration which resulted from the IIPT`s 2001 conference in Greece, stated that on the occasion of the Olympic Games to be held in Athens, 2004, the ancient traditions of the Olympic Truce be renewed according to which all wars had to stop, and terrorism and violence had to cease. However, D`Amore pointed out that In the 20th century rather than the Games replacing war, war replaced the Games: in 1916, 1940 and 1944. As we begin the 21st century we are at war. It`s important that we harness war, build international understanding in order to build the global family. Sports, travel and tourism, and culture have a key role to play in this.
Additionally, the IIPT is opening a chapter in Greece, at the offices of the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) with which it has been cooperating for the past four years. The cooperation began with the organization of a conference in Turkey which brought together industry leaders of Greece and Turkey in order to explore how travel could help improve relations between the people of both countries. The following year, HATTA hosted a similar conference in Thessaloniki. As HATTA President Yiannis Evangelou said, Tourism doesn`t only need peace, it promotes peace.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
