Tourism, in the official language, is an industry of numbers, such as arrivals. Revenues. Growth curves.
But across continents, among those who lead it, sustain it, and believe in it, tourism tells a very different story—one that resists measurement.
It is a story about people.
A minister funding a child’s education.
A global leader reframing travel as peace.
A hotel owner refusing to close their doors.
A tour guide shaping how a visitor sees the world.
A child offering chocolate to a stranger.
Individually, these moments seem small. – Together, they reveal something profound:
Tourism is not just an industry.
It is one of the world’s most powerful—and most overlooked—forces for peace.
🇯🇲 A Legacy Measured in Lives: Edmund Bartlett
The Jamaican Minister of Tourism has become a patron of global tourism, but his real success is not measured by visitor arrivals; he has guided his country through the largest crises in tourism and taught the world about tourism resilience.
It is measured in opportunity.
For more than 46 years, he has funded scholarships for hundreds of students—many from disadvantaged backgrounds—supporting education from primary school to university, in Jamaica and abroad.
“This is what gives me purpose in politics.”
In nearly six decades of public service, he calls this initiative his greatest achievement.
👉 Not tourism growth—but human transformation.
🌐 The Leaders Who Redefined Tourism
A generation of global leaders expanded tourism beyond economics:
- Taleb Rifai (UNWTO) — respected everywhere, and believing in tourism as peace
- Gloria Guevara (WTTC) — leadership in tourism, ready to guide this industry as a force of good and global strength in her powerful role as CEO of WTTC.
- Geoffrey Lipman (SUNX) — tourism as climate responsibility with an eye out for the next generation
- Young-shim Dho (UNWTO)— tourism as development and a force of good
- Burkhard Herbote, Germany— tourism as shared knowledge – a guru of global connectivity working quietly by moving the world from his Apartment in Germany.
Together, they reframed tourism as a global social force.
From Small Beginnings to Global Impact
Building Big, Giving Back: The Marriott Family
Some start small—and build something extraordinary.
J. Willard Marriott Jr. helped grow a modest family business into the world’s largest hotel group.
Yet through that growth, one principle remained constant:
👉 Take care of people. Give back.
His story reflects a deeper truth about tourism:
- You can start with a single property
- A single idea
- A single act of hospitality
And build something that touches the world.
🏡 Small Places, Big Impact
Others remain small—and may have the greatest impact of all.
Across the world, family-owned hotels and guesthouses quietly sustain tourism.
They survive:
- crises
- pandemics
- economic uncertainty
Not because it is easy—
👉 But because they believe in hospitality.
They cook for guests.
They share stories.
They create experiences that no large system can replicate.
For them, tourism is not scalable.
👉 It is a connection.
🌍 Leadership Across Continents
Former Seychelles Tourism Minister Alain St. Ange
through the Seychelles Carnival, brought the world to his island nation.
In doing so, he demonstrated tourism’s unique power:
👉 To create unity through celebration.
Former Zimbabwe Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi — hosting the world
At a time when many thought it impossible, Zimbabwe co-hosted the UNWTO General Assembly.
Walter Mzembi’s leadership showed that tourism can:
- overcome political barriers
- reshape global perceptions
- position Africa as a unifying force
👉 Pride here came from proving that the impossible could be done.
Today, Mr. Mzembi is in a prison cell in the country he loves, Zimbabwe, because of a political power game underway, but his leadership is felt through the prison walls.
Mona Naffa
Mona Naffa — standing fir : Through times of regional uncertainty, Mona Naffa has remained a constant voice for Jordan.
She speaks not just as a professional—but as a guardian of her country’s image.
Through thick and thin, her message remains:
👉 Jordan is safe.
👉 Jordan is welcoming.
👉 Jordan’s story matters.
That unwavering advocacy reflects a greater pride:
standing by your destination, no matter the circumstance
Ahmed Al-Khateeb — opening a nation
Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation is one of the most ambitious in modern history.
Under Al-Khateeb, the Kingdom is redefining itself—inviting the world to experience its culture, landscapes, and people.
But beyond investment lies intention:
👉 Tourism becomes a bridge between tradition and modern identity.
👉 Each reflects belief in place, even in difficult times.
🇮🇷 Holding Tourism Together in Difficult Times
In places facing political and economic pressures, tourism professionals often work quietly behind the scenes.
In Iran, officials and operators strive to keep tourism alive—preserving cultural exchange even in challenging conditions.
Their pride is not loud.
It is resilient – and through VPN and Starlink, tourism industry members from Iran share their fears through hidden networks as friends and not as enemies.
For few minutes connected with very expensive vpn!!!! We are ok, still ok!
Hope for good days to come – also for our beloved Iran Tourism Community
👉 Tourism, here, becomes an act of perseverance.
Voices That Inform and Challenge
- Thailand journalist Imtiaz Muqbil has spent decades challenging the industry to think critically about its impact—advocating for ethical and inclusive tourism. Dr. Peter Tarlow has helped destinations worldwide understand that safety is central to tourism success—bringing security and human well-being into the conversation.
- Dr. Peter Tarlow in the U.S. has helped destinations worldwide understand that safety is central to tourism success—bringing security and human well-being into the conversation.
- Dov Kalmann in Israel works to unite tourism, even from the bunkers in Tel Aviv
- Diana McIntyre Pike in Jamaica set a standard for Community Tourism in Jamaica
- Pankaj Pradhanaga in Nepal has made life for people with disability easier and more rewarding.
- Bea Broda, with her documentaries and Travel TV has spread joy and demonstrated the force of good in tourism
- Deepak Joshi led Nepal through the worst crisis, showing astonishing resilience for Nepal’s tourism industry
- Dr. Jens Thraenhart, with his work for Mekong Tourism, Barbados Tourism, and Saudi Tourism Authority, had set the tone on sustainability many times.
- Sherin Francis has been a force of experienced leadership for her home country, Seychelles, and its tourism industry
- Faouzou Deme in Senegal has brought French-speaking Africa together
- Mudi Astuti single-handedly launched the Holistic Wellness and Health Tourism movement in Indonesia with her work for the World Tourism Network
Through platforms like eTurboNews, founded by Juergen Steinmetz, these stories reach the world—often highlighting tourism’s human side before anyone else.
Tourism as a Global Peace Movement
Leaders like Louis D’Amore, founder of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism and Dr Taleb Rifai, former Secretary General of UNWTO have long understood:
👉 Tourism is peace in motion.
Resilience in Crisis: Ivan Liptuga
Even in war, tourism continues—as resilience, as hope.
🇸🇦 A Simple Gesture
A child offering chocolate.
👉 A moment that explains everything.
🌺 The Aloha Spirit of Hawaii
In Hawaii, tourism is not taught.
👉 It is lived.
Here is where eTurboNews was born in 1999.
🌍 The Invisible Diplomats
Millions of tour guides shape how the world understands itself.
👉 One story at a time.
Guardians of the Seas: Kristijan Curavic
In oceans around the world, a different kind of tourism force is at work—quiet, determined, and deeply committed.
Kristijan Curavic OACM has mobilized divers globally to do more than explore the sea.
👉 They protect it.
Through organized underwater cleanup efforts and certification initiatives, his work connects tourism with environmental responsibility, ensuring that beaches and marine ecosystems remain clean, safe, and sustainable for future generations.
Divers—often tourists themselves—become:
- environmental stewards
- protectors of coastlines
- ambassadors for sustainable travel
In this model, tourism is no longer passive.
👉 It becomes active preservation.
It is a reminder that the same industry that brings people to the ocean can also unite them to protect it. His goal is to plant the OACAM white flag everywhere.
🤝 Doing Business Among Friends: Skål International
Tourism operates on a simple truth:
👉 Trust creates connection.
🌍 Stronger Than War
Tourism has survived everything. Wars. Crises. Division. It pauses—but it never disappears.
Because it is driven by:
👉 The human needs to connect.
🏆 The Case for Recognition
For more than 100 years, tourism has done the work of peace.
Quietly. Consistently. Globally.
If any industry deserves recognition as a force for peace—
👉 It is tourism.
🌍 The Final Measure
Tourism moves millions.
But its true power lies elsewhere:
👉 In the lives it touches
👉 In the understanding, it builds
👉 In the peace, it quietly creates
In a divided world, tourism remains humanity’s most enduring bridge.
There are millions of examples in this largest industry that brings more than 10% of the world together/ And whether small or global, visible or unseen—
👉 Those who dedicate their lives to it share one thing:
Pride in connecting the world