IIPT invites the world to come together on September 10 for “Beyond Borders: Travel, the Future and the Pursuit of Peace”
At a time when peace itself has become one of the great questions facing our world, the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) invites people everywhere to come together for a special global celebration: 40 Years of Peace Through Tourism.
On September 10, 2026, IIPT will mark four decades of advancing a simple but powerful idea: travel and tourism can be forces for peace.
The free international webinar, “Beyond Borders: Travel, the Future and the Pursuit of Peace,”is more than an anniversary celebration. It is an invitation to look forward—to ask what role tourism can play in a world increasingly challenged by conflict, division, mistrust, and uncertainty.
Why this conversation matters now
Travel has an extraordinary ability to bring people face to face. It crosses borders, introduces us to cultures beyond our own and reminds us that, despite differences in nationality, language, religion and tradition, our shared humanity is far greater than what separates us.
For 40 years, IIPT has championed the vision that every traveler can potentially be an ambassador for peaceand that the tourism industry has both an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute to greater international understanding.
Today, that message has renewed urgency.
As conflicts continue to affect communities around the world and geopolitical tensions challenge international cooperation, the question is no longer simply where tourism is going next. It is also: What kind of world can tourism help us build?
That is the conversation IIPT wants everyone to be part of.
An extraordinary international gathering
The webinar will bring together distinguished voices from diplomacy, tourism, peacebuilding, academia and international development.
The program opens with H.E. Ambassador Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations in New York, followed by an introduction to the keynote speaker from Ms. Olinda Salguero, Central American Director of the Global Peace Foundation and Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The keynote address will be delivered by H.E. Vinicio Cerezo, the first democratically elected President of Guatemala and former Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
IIPT Founder and President Emeritus Dr. Louis D’Amorewill deliver closing remarks, while Mr. Timothy Marshall, Chairman of the IIPT Board of Directors, will give the Chairman’s Address. Mr. Ajay Prakash, IIPT Global President, will deliver the President’s Address.
They will be joined by an international panel featuring Ms. Ela Gandhi, peace activist and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi; Mr. Michael Collins, Executive Director, Americas, Institute for Economics & Peace; Mr. Geoffrey Lipman, Co-Founder of SUNx Program and President of SUNx Malta; Mr. Ignacio Packer, Executive Director, CAUX Initiatives of Change Foundation; Mr. Juergen Steinmetz, President & CEO of Travel News Group; Ms. Bea Broda, Editor of the IIPT Newsletter; and Mr. Andreas Larentzatis, IIPT Executive Director.
Together, these voices will consider not only the achievements of the past 40 years, but the possibilities of the decades ahead.
IIPT wants the world to join the celebration
This anniversary belongs not only to IIPT, but to everyone who believes that tourism can connect rather than divide, build understanding rather than suspicion, and help create bridges where borders too often become barriers.
Tourism professionals, government leaders, students, educators, journalists, peace advocates, destination leaders and travelers themselves are all encouraged to participate.
Registration is free, allowing people around the world to join this timely international conversation.
Save the date: September 10, 2026, and register here
The webinar begins at 09:00 New York / 14:00 UK / 15:00 Central Europe and South Africa / 16:00 Kenya, with corresponding times around the world, including 06:00 Los Angeles and Vancouver, 18:30 India and Sri Lanka, 21:00 China and Singapore, 22:00 Japan and Korea, and 23:00 Sydney.
There may be few moments more appropriate than the present to revisit the idea on which IIPT was founded 40 years ago: that tourism is ultimately about more than destinations, hotels, aircraft or visitor numbers. It is about people meeting people.
And when people meet, listen and begin to understand one another, the possibility of peace grows.
Be part of the conversation. Be part of the celebration. And be part of imagining what the next 40 years of Peace Through Tourism can achieve.
September 10, 2026 — One world. One conversation. 40 years of Peace Through Tourism.
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