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| Tourists taking a photo in front of police vehicles during Flag Protests January 2013 |
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| Sandy Rowe For God |
To a visitor of Northern Ireland there's something striking about a 20 foot mural of a masked gunman painted on a dilapidated building. There's something gritty about wandering through an unfamiliar estate to see the painted curbstones and other territorial markings. There's something authentic about meeting an ex-combatant who speaks candidly about his transition from child to soldier. And there's something romantic about walking from one side of a peaceline to the other - taking a stand against segregation and feeling hopeful that bridges will soon replace walls.
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| Author at Cupar way Peaceline |
I know the reality of conflict tourism all to well because I myself am
an avid conflict tourist. In addition to my guilty pleasure of exploring
and photographing the murals and peacelines around Northern Ireland I
have been working jointly in Peacebuilding and Tourism industries. I've
led hundreds of people - both from around the island and further afield - to the peacelines of Belfast.
Each time I deliver a
new bus load of students or young people to the Cupar Way Peaceline so that they
may sign the wall and add their names to the ultimate petition of peace, I take a moment to consider why we're there. I have an internal dilemma where on one hand I cringe at the possibility that people feel we're treating them and their homes like a zoo while on the other hand I'm inspired by the prospect of engaging with a harsh reality so that lessons may be learnt and creative solutions may emerge.
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| 'Get the real story' |
Because it is natural for tourists to be drawn to the excitement of a conflict society (particularly to a post-conflict island of enchantment where Belfast ranks the second safest city in the world for tourists), it's essential that we ensure tourism does not hinder the peace process. Ideally, we should develop potentials for tourism to contribute to regeneration and facilitate lessons for peacebuilding. Just as Black Taxi Tours have created an industry which benefits some of those impacted by the Troubles, it's important to pursue ways tourism may promote sustainability for ongoing peace efforts. My experiences of Black Taxi and Coiste Tours have always been extremely educational and emotive. There is something to be said for giving voice to ex-combatants, promoting opportunities for employment, providing a touristic service and sharing lessons of a difficult past with others. Additionally though there is potential to develop a genuine form of tourism, that compliments ongoing tours, with a type of engagement with peace efforts of past and present.
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| Hope University students in Alexandra Park |
One way this idea has been conceptualised in theory and implemented in practice is through the interface tours facilitated by the Belfast Interface Project and many of their partner organisations, with whom I've had the happy fortune of working. By connecting groups of students and young people from near and far to the good news stories of youth leaders working on cross-community issues in contentious areas and the creative approaches of community organisations responding to needs on the ground, the voices of peace have a greater platform from which to speak. Bringing American university students to travel between the open gates at Alexandra Park introduces a reality that dedication to peacebuilding can yield results. Hearing personal accounts of those who have stood for peace in the face of violence and learning of the daily struggles still present across the interface areas of Belfast is a powerful force to those eager to learn from peace.
The importance of Tourism in Ireland is undeniable. Acknowledging this, the Good Friday Agreement created a cross-border initiative to promote the island of Ireland to the world as an essential component of rebuilding post-conflict. Actively developing an authentic and coordinated strategy to link tourism to interface regeneration and peacework sustainability has tremendous potentials for Northern Ireland. It is essential that Conflict (Peace?) Tourism benefit those most affected by conflict as well as those actively striving for peace.
