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40th Anniversary

Virtual Global Summit · 10 September 2026

Celebrating 40 Years of Peace Through Tourism

On 10 September 2026, IIPT marked its 40th anniversary with a virtual Global Leadership Summit, bringing together members, chapters, partners and friends from around the world.

Founded in 1986, the UN International Year of Peace, IIPT used the occasion to look back over four decades of Peace Through Tourism and to chart its course for the next forty years. Hosted by IIPT Newsletter Editor Bea Broda, the summit heard from IIPT’s leadership, from Kenya at the United Nations, and from voices for peace across tourism, academia, media and civil society.

Watch the full summit recording. Open on YouTube

  • 40years since IIPT was founded in 1986
  • 10 Sept2026, 9:00 am New York time
  • 450+IIPT Peace Parks on six continents
  • Onlinea virtual global event, open to all
How the day unfolded

Summit programme

  • 01

    Welcome

    Timothy Marshall, Chairman, IIPT Board of Directors

    Opening the summit, the Chairman welcomed participants from around the world, read Maya Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth”, and noted that the IIPT Peace Parks network now numbers more than 450 parks on six continents.

  • 02

    Opening address

    Kenya’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations

    Speaking for Kenya, the Deputy Permanent Representative described tourism as a bridge between peoples and shared Kenya’s work to welcome visitors and its diaspora home, including cultural festivals that bring communities together.

  • 03

    Panel discussion

    Beyond Borders: Travel, the Future and the Pursuit of Peace

    Ela Gandhi, peace activist and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi; Michael Collins of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP); Ignacio Packer of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation; Juergen Steinmetz, publisher of eTurboNews; and Professor Geoffrey Lipman of SUNx Malta discussed how travel can help build peace in a divided world.

  • 04

    Messages from Central America

    Olinda Salguero and H.E. Vinicio Cerezo

    Video messages from Olinda Salguero of the Global Peace Foundation and H.E. Vinicio Cerezo, former President of Guatemala, recalled the Esquipulas peace process and the role of dialogue in ending conflict.

  • 05

    The road ahead

    Ajay Prakash, Global President, IIPT

    The President set out four priorities for IIPT’s next chapter: partnerships, youth, Peace Parks and chapters, and recognition (see below).

  • 06

    Report from the chapters

    Andreas Larentzakis, Executive Director, IIPT

    A tour of IIPT’s chapters and the volunteers who lead them, from the Caribbean, IIPT’s first chapter, to Australia, Serbia, the Indian Ocean, South Africa and India.

  • 07

    Questions from participants

    Open discussion

    Participants raised ideas ranging from an Africa Peace Caravan and cultural diplomacy to World Poetry Day and cooperation with UNESCO.

  • 08

    Closing

    The Credo of the Peaceful Traveler

    The summit closed with a reading of the IIPT Credo of the Peaceful Traveler, a tribute to IIPT Founder Dr. Louis D’Amore, who celebrates his 90th birthday in this anniversary year, and a short film looking back over four decades of Peace Through Tourism.

Why online

A truly global celebration

Given the political and economic climate and significant global conflicts, the IIPT Board decided to hold the 40th anniversary as an exclusively virtual global event, so that members and friends everywhere could take part.

The in-person summit will follow in 2027 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

See future events
Beyond Borders: Travel, the Future and the Pursuit of Peace

Voices from the panel

Ela Gandhi

Peace activist

Spoke of three elements of peace: peace within ourselves, peace with the environment, and peace with one another.

Michael Collins

Institute for Economics and Peace

Shared Global Peace Index findings that peacefulness has been declining worldwide, and that international tourism ranks among the factors most closely linked with improvements in peace.

Ignacio Packer

Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation

Spoke about the Caux Peace Park in Switzerland and called for IIPT Peace Parks to be linked as a connected global network.

Juergen Steinmetz

eTurboNews

Spoke about the role of independent travel media in telling the story of tourism and peace and in advocating for the industry.

Prof. Geoffrey Lipman

SUNx Malta

Linked peace with climate action and described new work with IIPT to engage children through IIPT Peace Parks, including plans for Canada’s Peace Parks.

Watch the full discussion The complete summit recording is at the top of this page.
The next 40 years

Four priorities for IIPT

Global President Ajay Prakash set out where IIPT will focus as it enters its fifth decade.

Partnerships

Building partnerships for peace, including work with the Institute for Economics and Peace towards a Global Tourism and Peace Index, in the spirit of UN Sustainable Development Goal 17.

Youth

Reviving IIPT’s coalition of partners and consortium of universities, and engaging young people through new digital and educational initiatives.

Peace Parks and chapters

Revitalising the IIPT Peace Parks network and opening new chapters around the world.

Recognition

The Celebrating Her Awards return to ITB Berlin in March 2027, with a new “Heroes for the Planet” category.

The anniversary continues

What comes next

4–5 December 2026

Belgrade, Serbia

Tourism and Peacebuilding Future 2026, with the opening of the IIPT Peace Park Belgrade.

Early 2027

Online, from Ukraine

A World Summit for Peace through Tourism, broadcast from Lviv.

2027

United Nations, New York

The in-person IIPT Global Leadership Summit at UN Headquarters.

Watch

More IIPT videos

The Celebrating Her awards at ITB Berlin, from the first ceremony in 2016, and IIPT India’s Diplomats for Peace.

54:02

Celebrating Her Awards, ITB Berlin 2016

The first “Celebrating Her” Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism, presented by IIPT India at ITB Berlin in March 2016.

59:18

Celebrating Her Awards, ITB Berlin 2023

The 6th Celebrating Her awards, with a message from Dr. Louis D’Amore and a panel on gender and Peace through Tourism.

43:24

Celebrating Her Awards, ITB Berlin 2024

The 7th Celebrating Her awards at ITB Berlin, March 2024.

1:49

IIPT India Diplomats for Peace

Dr. Taleb Rifai’s video message, as UNWTO Secretary-General, to IIPT India’s Diplomats for Peace event in New Delhi.