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May 2016

Tourism as a Driver of Peace

By World Travel and Tourism Council and Institute of Economics and Peace

Travel & Tourism has often been recognised for its ability to drive peace, security and understanding. World leaders, from John F Kennedy to Bill Clinton to Tony Blair, have highlighted the importance of the sector.

This report explored the links between tourism and peace. The research shows that countries with a more open and sustainable tourism sector tend to be more peaceful: A sustainable and open tourism sector brings about a higher level of positive peace: namely the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies

Countries with a more sustainable and open tourism sector are more likely to enjoy higher levels of positive peace in the future. The more sustainable a country’s tourism sector, the lower the country’s level of violence and conflict is likely to be. In non-conflict-affected countries, tourism is resilient to deteriorations in violence and conflict, even when terrorism is targeted at tourists.