Sánchez Sánchez and Fernández Herreira raise a reflection on the three dimensions of peace: form a personal dimension and the spiritual sphere, from a social dimension, and form an environmental-natural dimension. Tourism can play a fundamental role as a tool for establishing ties with oneself and with other people to contribute to the development of peace. In this chapter, authors propose to study the different dimensions of the concept of peace by studying the project of Trails for Peace, a project born as a non-profit social entrepreneurial project that integrates different routes around the world that have a special significance for their relationship with some conflict areas. Trails help travelers to know the natural areas and to build inner peace through various spiritual activities. The project helps to promote the welfare of people by involving local communities to foster contact between visitors and tourists and sustainable development. This chapter aims to analyse the impact the project has on the areas where these paths have been developed.
TopIntroduction
Rodríguez Rojo (1995, p. 46) understands peace as “the non-violent regulation of the conflict (personal, sociopolitical, environmental) to positively build justice or a New International Order that implies analytical, critical, creative and global awareness”. Bauman (2007, p. 13) says that if human beings want peace, they must worry about justice. Peace must be understood from an integrative and transformative perspective and must have a holistic vision of reality. Peace is not living without conflict; having conflicts is natural in human nature; what is not natural is the absence of justice and the absence of individual commitment. Peace, or the aspiration for peace, work for peace, should seek the implementation of fundamental values in the human person, such as (Ruiz Monroy, n.d.), autonomy, charity, freedom, equality, justice, forgiveness, commitment or recognition of the other.
Sánchez Sánchez and Fernández Herreira (1996) raise a reflection on the three dimensions of peace: in the peaceful, harmonious relationship of man with himself and with others; in the relation intra and inter groups, institutions, peoples, states (at the level of social structures) and in the harmonious relation of the man with nature. We can refer to three dimensions of peace: personal, social and environmental.
Tourism can play a fundamental role as a tool for establishing ties with oneself and with the others in order to contribute to the development of peace. In this chapter, we propose to study the different dimensions of the concept of peace by studying the proposal for Trails for Peace.
Through this chapter, authors want to present this project and analyze the impact it has on some of the areas where these paths have been developed. Gandhi claims that peace is the way, not the goal or the ending point. Peace is the way, the commitment, the action, the conviction of each person to walk (Fisas, 2002, 17).
The chapter is structured in four main sections (apart from this introduction). In the first section, the concept of peace will be presented based on the interconnection of the three dimensions mentioned above. This section aims to present the philosophical approach of the authors concerning the area studied. In the second section, the case study will be presented, describing the origin of Trails for Peace, the different paths that exist already and how they function. In the third section, an analysis of the impacts of Trails for Peace regarding peacebuilding will be done. Finally, the last section is the conclusion, reflecting on how the case study presented can foster peacebuilding through tourism.
TopPhilosophical Bases; The Concept Of Peace
As mentioned in the introduction, peace will be addressed from three perspectives, according to Sánchez Sánchez and Fernández Herreira (1996), peace from a personal dimension, from a social dimension and from an environmental dimension.
Before the three dimensions are explored, a brief definition of the concept of peace will be presented. Rodríguez Rojo (1995, 46) understands peace as “the non-violent regulation of conflict (personal, socio-political, environmental) in order to build positive justice or a new International Order that involves analytical, critical, creative and global awareness.” Peace should be understood from an integrative and transformative perspective and must be approached with a holistic vision of reality. Thus, Mayor Oreja says that
Peace in the world can only begin with peace with yourself and then peace with all the organizations in which you participate more actively and directly. Peace is the result of the sum of personal attitudes, based on the search for truth, from freedom. (quoted in ElMundo, 2009)