conflict and social fragmentation, tourism stands at a crossroads. Long viewed primarily as an economic engine, tourism today must respond to a far broader question: what role can it play in shaping more peaceful, inclusive, and resilient societies?
At the Swedish Tourism Innovation Centre (STIC), we believe tourism is not just about movement across borders, but it is about encounters, narratives and relationships. When designed consciously, tourism can foster understanding and dialogue. When left unexamined, it can just as easily reinforce divisions. The difference may lie in intentional innovation and in who is invited to shape the future of tourism.
From Economic Growth to Social Responsibility
For decades, innovation in tourism has focused on efficiency, growth and competitiveness. While these remain important, they are no longer sufficient. Today’s global challenges such as conflict, displacement, climate stress and social inequality require tourism to take on a more active social role.
Tourism experiences influence how people see places and communities. They can either flatten complex histories into simplified stories or open space for learning, empathy and critical reflection. This means tourism must be designed with awareness and responsibility at its core.
At STIC, our work has long focused on supporting tourism that is sustainable, inclusive and future-oriented. Through Paths to Peace, we are extending this work into the field of peacebuilding, exploring how tourism can contribute to social cohesion and reconciliation, particularly in divided or conflict-affected contexts.
Why Youth Are Central to Peace-Oriented Tourism
One message has emerged clearly from our research and partnerships: youth are not just future tourism professionals—they are present-day innovators and changemakers.
Insights gathered through Work Package 2 of Paths to Peace, captured in the Global Peace Perspectives Roadmap, show that young people across Europe are deeply motivated to contribute to peace and social change. At the same time, many feel excluded from decision-making processes and lack access to practical tools, mentorship, and platforms to turn ideas into action.
This gap matters. Peace-oriented tourism cannot be built solely through top-down strategies or established systems. It requires new perspectives, lived experience, creativity, and courage to challenge existing models—qualities that young people bring in abundance when given the space and support to lead.
From Insight to Action: Connecting WP2 and WP3
The publication of the Global Peace Perspectives Roadmap marks an important milestone for Paths to Peace. The Roadmap brings together research findings, youth voices, and stakeholder insights on the opportunities and limitations of tourism-based peacebuilding. It also makes one thing clear: intentional learning and skills development are essential if tourism is to contribute meaningfully to peace.
This is where Work Package 3 (WP3) comes in.
WP3 translates research into practice through hybrid workshops, training sessions, and mentorship. These activities are designed to equip young people with the skills needed to develop conflict-sensitive tourism initiatives rooted in real communities and real challenges. Rather than abstract theory, the focus is on learning by doing, peer exchange, and reflection grounded in lived experience.
For STIC, this connection between WP2 and WP3 reflects a core principle of innovation: insight only creates value when it leads to action.
Scaling What Works, Together
Paths to Peace is not an isolated initiative. It is a testing ground for new ways of thinking about tourism, youth engagement, and societal impact. The lessons emerging from this project will inform how we—and our partners—approach future tourism innovation across Europe and beyond.
Scaling peace-oriented tourism requires collaboration across sectors: youth organisations, tourism businesses, educators, policymakers, and civil society. It also requires openness—to feedback, to learning, and to change.
That is why the Global Peace Perspectives Roadmap is now open for feedback from both young people and stakeholders. The goal is not to present fixed answers, but to build a shared understanding and a living foundation for continued innovation.
An Invitation to Engage
We invite young people, tourism professionals, educators, regions, and organisations to join us in this journey.
Read the Roadmap. Share your perspective. Engage with the upcoming workshops. Explore how tourism, when designed with care and courage, can become a platform for peace.
At STIC, we are committed to supporting ideas that challenge the status quo and contribute to a more just and peaceful future. Paths to Peace is one step in that direction—and we believe it is only the beginning.