ABSTRACT
The proposition that tourism can be an agent of peace by reducing prejudice and improving relations among people has been longstanding. A burgeoning number of studies advocate the role of tourism in reconciliation and peace, suggesting that travel-induced contact may minimize negative prejudice and animosity, and help build rapport between hostile groups. Although great insights are offered from these studies, the contributory role of tourism to peace remains questionable. Indeed, the majority of studies focus on perceptual and attitudinal change following visitation to a hostile outgroup. Less attention has been paid to the nature of the encounters between visitors and the visited community. Examinations of the visitor-host encounter in countries affected by prolonged conflict, and thus characterized by fragility and political uncertainty, may provide insight into the conditions under which tourism might contribute to peace. To this end, this chapter explores visitor-host encounters within post-conflict destinations. Drawing insights from the context of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974 following prolonged tensions between the island’s Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, the chapter discusses a range of encounters occurring within post-conflict settings, ranging from commercial-based to social ones. It appears that an interplay of factors emanating from the socio-political environment in Cyprus conditions the relationship(s) between visitors and the host community in a politically uncertain setting.
