International amity through tourism

While it is virtually a home truth today that economic globalization has made possible human interaction and people-to-people contact on an unprecedented worldwide scale, promoting international understanding and harmony by this means would require a more concerted, focused and informed initiative among governments and other relevant actors. For many countries, tourism is a source of national income and, therefore, a commercial enterprise, but to use tourism for the furtherance of international understanding, countries would need to look well beyond economic gains, although economic interests are vital.

As we have pointed out in this commentary over the past few days, particularly in the context of issues addressed by the SAARC Summit, South Asia, along with East Asia, are forging ahead in the sphere of economic growth and the economic prospects for this region could not have been brighter. In the days ahead, the countries of South Asia would do well to look closely and purposefully at ways of cooperating increasingly on the economic plane. There has to be, for instance, freer and stepped up trade among the SAARC Eight and a greater exploitation of each others economic complementarities.

Since economics are increasingly driving politics in this era of 'open markets', one should not be surprised to see a gradual elimination of some of the divisive political issues which have been dividing member states of SAARC over the years. Moreover, when political differences among states begin to increasingly narrow, the likelihood of increasing interaction among these countries on a multiplicity of planes is greater and people-to-people contact among them too correspondingly increases.

In these times when the idea of a single South Asian identity is being spoken of more, governments of this region are obliged to use these possibilities opened by more people-to-people contact to promote enhanced international understanding and amity among the SAARC Eight and between the latter and the world outside. Thus, it was most laudable of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information of the Sri Lankan government to launch over the weekend, a seminar on 'The role of the media in promoting tourism for enhancing people-to-people contact.' In attendance were a number of state and media persons from the region who were involved in tourism, media and related fields.

It is perhaps not realized sufficiently by even the majority of states and peoples of this region that they possesses more commonalities than points of difference, in particularly the cultural and spiritual spheres. It is only stepped-up people-to-people contact which would help bring out these numerous commonalities which would have no small bearing in cementing a durable SAARC identity. In these times of increasing economic interaction, such an identity would do the SAARC cause a tremendous amount of good, because regional solidarity based on a common identity, is a must for the collective consolidation of SAARC gains, both material and non-material. It is similar processes that enabled the EU, for instance, to forge ahead as an economic grouping of considerable dynamism.

Needless to say, the media of this region could play a decisive role in alerting our peoples to their numerous commonalities, both material and non-material. Forceful and colourful travel writing about the scenic spots and exquisite travel destinations of this region, for instance, is a must for tourism promotion and our media are best positioned for this task. But we also need informed writing about our cultures and peoples which would not only help in advancing international understanding and amity but also help in highlighting our uniqueness as a region.

Thus, the media would need to dive below the surface of the SAARC region's 'scenic delights', although the latter are vital for our countries' tourism industries. It is not just steady contact among this region's cultures that must be aimed at but a more penetrating understanding of the personalities and ways of living of our communities. This calls for a brand of journalism that combines professional skills with the insightful understanding of the professional sociologist and the sensitivity of the enlightened humanist.