STOWE, Vt. -- Organizers are halfway to their target of registering
500 delegates to the first Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism,
scheduled for Nov. 8 to 11 in Amman, Jordan.
About 250 travel industry professionals have registered thus
far, said Louis D'Amore, president of the International Institute
for Peace Through Tourism.
Speaking to reporters at the ASTA World Travel Congress in Las
Vegas, D'Amore said the event is an "opportunity for the tourism
industry to take a leadership role in socially and environmentally
responsible tourism."
Plans are for a Peace Park to be installed in Amman, at the
Presidio in San Francisco and at other sites around the world.
The event is co-sponsored by American Express and is planned in
coordination with King Abdullah II of Jordan, who has invited world
leaders to attend. Among them is Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon
Peres, former Israeli prime minister.
Featured speakers will include Harvey Golub, chairman and chief
executive officer of American Express, and ministers of tourism
from several countries.
Scheduled sessions include Bridging the Have and Have Not
Regions of the World, Educating for a Culture of Peace through
Tourism and a media forum on the role of the press in creating a
"culture of peace."
The Society of the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped
also will participate, hosting a panel discussion on the needs of
disabled travelers, with speakers from around the world.
For information, contact the Global Summit at (802) 253-2658 or
the Web site at www.iipt.org.