Sophia Avramidou

• I. POULIOS
• S. KARAMPELA
• E. MAVRAGANI

The doctoral dissertation examines the role and dynamics of peace tourism in promoting positive peace and analyzes its development prospects within the Greek context.
This is an interdisciplinary and evolving field of research that encompasses both tourism studies and peace studies, with a multifaceted and contemporary agenda that, in the post-COVID-19 era, tends toward human-centered tourism 5.0 and should move toward the areas of social development, intercultural dialogue, and sustainable peace, a fact that reinforces tourism’s role as a catalyst for “positive peace.” On this basis, tourism is not merely seen as an industry that generates income, but also as an excellent platform for fostering positive peace.
The theoretical part presents a systematic literature review on peace tourism, analyzing the concepts of the culture of peace, peacebuilding, positive peace, as well as emerging international trends in peace tourism, such as the Peace Boat, Lumbini in Nepal, the Nobel Peace Center in Norway, and Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad in India. The empirical part follows a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and quantitative analysis via questionnaires administered to visitors to explore the attitudes of tourism professionals, local stakeholders, organizations, academics, and visitors towards the concept of peace tourism in Greece and to analyze the obstacles as well as the prerequisites for the implementation of peace tourism in the Greek context.
The aim of the research is to contribute both to the theoretical documentation of positive peace tourism and to the formulation of proposals for policy strategies and development plans for Greece, highlighting the prospects for the development of an  alternative, cultural, sustainable, and people-centered tourism model.