July 28, 2009 – San Diego, California – Celestialink LLC announced today that its media division, TravelTalkMEDIA Group, will be consulting with International peace and tourism expert, Dr. Omar Moufakkir while developing the First Ladies of the World TV series.  Dr. Moufakkir is currently the Lector in Peace through Tourism at Stenden University in Leeuwarden, Holland and is the founder of the International Centre for Peace through Tourism Research.

“The development of Our First Ladies of the World programming will be taking us to emerging and developing countries where many of the societies have come out of wars in the past few years”, said Sandy Dhuyvetter, founder of Celestialink and executive producer of the TravelTalkMEDIA Group. “Dr. Moufakkir’s wisdom and knowledge of tourism and peace will help support the development of our programming with a harmonic and balanced message”.

The new First Ladies of the World TV series which will be distributed worldwide was designed to attract mass interest and especially women. “Women are the prime movers in world Travel, driving 70 percent of all leisure travel spending and 80 percent of corporate travel bookings in America. The trends point to women continuing to be a major factor in driving economic growth of travel”, said Patrick Peartree, Director of TravelTalkMEDIA. “Ultimately, travel is one of the most important keys to creating economic wealth in communities which is the foundation of contentment which leads to a peaceful existence.

Dr. Moufakkir began his work with Sandy Dhuyvetter when they met in The Hague while both were working with the Tourism4Peace Forum in 2006. The forum brings top hospitality and tourism managers from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine to discuss pragmatic strategies on how tourism can help overcome the existing obstacles and contribute to peace in the region. Dr. Moufakkir is currently working with Sandy on the Africa Peace Caravan message as TravelTalkMEDIA created and maintains the online presence for the organization.

Dr. Moufakkir stated from his office in Leeuwarden Holland, "I am very honored to act as the International Advisor to Travel Talk Media. Sandy's work is impressive, her networks' portfolio immense, messages trustworthy, and above all her dedication to bridging cultural and economic gaps is REAL. I met Sandy first in Uganda, then in Israel and the Netherlands. I worked with Sandy on several projects including the Tourism4Peace Forum. Her contribution to the First European conference on Peace and Tourism at Stenden University was instrumental to the success of this initiative. Working with Sandy is serious fun".

Ms. Dhuyvetter serves on the advisory board at Stenden University on the Media and Entertainment department and recently accepted an invitation to be on the editorial board for The Journal of Tourism and Peace Research at Stenden University, headed up by Dr. Moufakkir.

About Stenden University
Over 10.000 students are studying and more than 800 employees are currently working at Stenden university. The university has campus sites in the Netherlands; Leeuwarden, Berlin, Germany; a campus in Doha (Qatar), Bangkok (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia) and Port Alfred (South Africa). The university offers 3 associate degrees, 19 bachelor programmes and 4 master programmes in the fields of (Service) Management, Education, Care, Economics and Technique. 

About International Centre for Peace Through Tourism Research (ICPTR)
The ICPTR is a center where peace and tourism is the focus of inquiry. ICPTR conducts scientific research projects to empirically assess the myths and realities associated with peace through tourism. The ICPTR’s objective is to conduct academic research to contribute to the development of tourism as an agent of peace.

About TravelTalkMEDIA
TravelTalkMEDIA, established in 2001, is one of the world’s most recognized  travel industry new media companies, providing travel-related information, news, and entertainment to the travel and tourism industry worldwide. TravelTalkMEDIA broadcasts through its TravelTalkRADIO and TravelTalkTV subsidiaries. Programming is distributed to millions of listeners in 130 countries each month through conventional radio broadcasting and distribution via satellite, cable and online.

For more information on TravelTalkMEDIA visit us at www.TravelTalkMEDIA.com

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