New frontiers for tourism and peace

A well known writer wrote at the beginning of the 20^th century that we have discovered all corners of the world; what is left now is to work out the details. A hundred years later, I think his judgement is still valid. Almost every inch of the globe has been mapped and photographed. We now have satellites that are studying the geological layers of the earth. We have also been travelling to outer space reaching the furthest frontiers.

But what is really left now is finding out not the geographical details but the human dimension. We really need to get to know each other and use travel as a means of doing so. We still have cultural and economic divisions. There are great misunderstanding and injustices around the globe giving rise to violent actions. What humanity should be working towards is one peaceful world based on justice and high ethical values.

People from rich, Western countries, are still going on holiday to places characterised by poverty and injustices and they come home praising these destinations because they had good holidays on the beaches under the shining sun. Others come to Western countries, especially from the Arab and Islamic world and refuse to learn anything from these highly cultured and civilised countries. As long as no real contact is established between peoples and cultures the world will continue to be divided by constant tensions.

To turn to another topic, we have been discussing several ideas on the commercial side of the magazine; some will be implemented soon. First: We will work hard to gain sponsorship for special supplements, either on countries or on tourism issues. We anticipate that government departments concerned with tourism and airlines will participate in this scheme.

Second: We are involved in negotiating the franchising of the magazine and the website in languages beside the existing ones: English, Arabic, French and Spanish.

Third: We are active in attending and covering exhibitions all over the world. Most of the time we pay our own expenses. But now we will insist that the organisers give us a free stand, send tickets for our team and provide accommodation and necessary facilities so we can give these events the coverage they deserve.

This is a tall order but we always believe in consolidating and exploring new frontiers.

Dr. Abdul-Rahim Hassan
Editor-in-Chief