The peaceful environment that we enjoy in Jordan today makes my country a natural home for Global Summit 2000. The summit is dedicated to the commitment my late father King Hussein made to instill mutual understanding and peace among people in this region and in the global village. For Jordan, the travel industry is a vitally important dimension of sustainable growth. It can be the engine to move ahead as the new millennium dawns. We believe that tourism can have a profound impact on creating a climate for peace by generating economic growth and stable employment.
Tourism also educates travelers about other cultures, thereby fostering understanding.
While world leaders often meet to discuss opportunities for peace, it's rare that they would view a single industry as playing such a powerful role in sustaining peace. King Abdullah has invited world leaders who are dedicated to building peace to participate in the summit. Global Summit 2000 is endorsed by the World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organization. Twenty prestigious international organizations have become founding members of a Coalition of Partners for World Peace Through Tourism. Among them are the Africa Travel Association, Caribbean Tourism Organization, European Travel Commission, International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, International Federation of Women Travel Organizations, Middle East and Mediterranean Travel and Tourism Association, Professional Innkeepers International, Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped, Society of Incentive Travel Executives, The International Tourism Exchange, Universal Federation of Travel Agents' Association and others.