Airline Ambassadors International today was awarded an “Ambassador for Peace Award” by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) for promoting a “Culture of Peace through Tourism.” The award was presented on the Platinum Stage at the World Travel Market in London, England, as Sandy Dhurvetter, Executive Producer/Host TravelTalkMEDIA and member of the AAI Board, accepted the award from IIIPT Founder and President, Louis D’Amore. [photo available].
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO Secretary General; David Scowsill, President, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); Mok Singh, Immediate Past President, Skal International; Geoffrey Lipman, President, International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP); Martin Craigs, President, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Peter DeWilde, CEO of Visit Flanders all spoke at the event to support the important role of travel and tourism as a vehicle for peace.
Eight organizations were recognized at the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) 25th anniversary commemoration of its First Global Conference, Tourism: A Vital Force for Peace, Vancouver 1988. The event took place at World Travel Market’s Platinum Suite stage on Tuesday, November 5 from 1400–1500.
IIPT Presented Ambassador for Peace Awards to:
Airline Ambassadors International, www.airlineamb.org
Airline Ambassadors International began in 1996 when Founder Nancy Rivard, with a small group of airline personnel, used their travel benefits to help orphans and vulnerable children.
Global Volunteers, www.globalvolunteers.org
Works in special consultative status with the United Nations and in partnership with U.N. agencies UNICEF and the World Food Programme to engage short-term volunteers on long-term projects to create, nurture and sustain the well being of the world’s children – so they can realize the full promise of their human potential.
Alex Harris, www.generaltours.com
In 1954, after requesting special permission from the U.S. State Department and Eisenhower Administration, he was granted the authority to operate the first scheduled tours to the Soviet Union for American travelers. His story is an inspiration to all who face seemingly overwhelming odds and proof that even the greatest obstacles can be overcome.
Hostelling International, www.hihostels.com
The Hostelling International mission, defined in 1932, is one of the earliest examples of sustainable tourism by encouraging a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation of the social and cultural values in all parts of the world.
IUCN – UIAA Summit Team, www.rogerpayne.info/
Honoring the first time that mountaineers from India and Pakistan had formed a joint climbing team, the first time the flags of the two nations had flown together from a Summit, and the first time that any of the climbs were made by a quadruple amputee.
Peace Boat, www.peaceboat.org/english
For thirty years, Peace Boat has been promoting people-to-people communication across borders and building a culture of peace.
PeaceTrees Vietnam, www.peacetreesvietnam.org
For their work alongside the Vietnamese people to transform the destructive consequences of war into a safe and healthy environment for the children of Quang Tri Province by removing land mines and replacing them with trees.
READ Global, www.readglobal.org
READ (Rural Education and Development) Global believes that empowering rural communities is critical to alleviating global poverty. READ partners with rural villages to build Community Library and Resource Centers (READ Centers) that offer knowledge, information and opportunities to villagers that lack the most basic educational resources.
IIPT will end its 25th anniversary year with a Global Summit in September 2014. The event will begin and end with two global media events: On September 21, the UN International Day of Peace, the IIPT/Skal 500 Peace Towns and Villages will be dedicated in countries throughout the world. On September 27, World Tourism Day, IIPT will launch its “Great Falls Peace Parks” initiative sending a message of peace, friendship and hope for the future circling the earth.
IIPT Founder and President said, “As one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries, the collective voice of travel and tourism leaders can be a powerful force for peace and justice in the 21st century – for without peace, there is no tourism.”
The event was co-moderated by Fiona Jeffery OBE – Former Chairman, World Travel Market and Founder and Chairman, Just a Drop, and Anita Mendiratta, Founder & Managing Director CACHET Consulting.
A highlight of the ceremony was Alston Koch, a Sri Lankan-born Australian singer-songwriter sang an original song on a theme of climate change.
About IIPT
IIPT is dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, poverty reduction, and the resolution of conflict – and through these initiatives, help bring about a more peaceful and sustainable world. IIPT is dedicated to mobilizing travel and tourism, the world’s largest industry, as the world’s first “Global Peace Industry,” an industry that promotes and supports the belief that “Every traveler is potentially an Ambassador for Peace.”
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Almost 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM. WTM, now in its 34th year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
You can download the PDF of the press release here.
