Tourism as a Catalyst for Diplomacy: Fostering Political Cooperation Along the Modern Silk Road

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), often dubbed the 'Modern Silk Road,' represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure and economic development projects in history. While its economic and strategic dimensions are widely analyzed, the role of tourism as a soft-power tool for improving political relationships among participating countries remains underexplored. This paper argues that the development of transnational tourism corridors along the Silk Road can significantly enhance political cooperation by fostering people-to-people bonds, creating shared economic interdependencies, facilitating Track II diplomacy, building a collective cultural identity, and promoting collaborative governance. Through an analysis of existing initiatives and theoretical frameworks, this paper contends that tourism is not merely a byproduct of peaceful relations but an active and potent mechanism for building trust, mitigating conflicts, and fostering a stable political environment conducive to long-term partnership. The challenges, including geopolitical tensions and infrastructural disparities, are also examined to provide a balanced perspective.

کلیدواژه ها:

tourism ، diplomacy ، silk road