Shimon Peres was a shining example of the best of humanity - a brilliant caring sharing visionary in the mold of Nelson Mandela; a man who sought peace with security and decency out of the complex cauldron of the Middle East conflict. The world will miss his simple smiling optimism.

I had the privilege of meeting with him on several occasions over the past 20 years - including co-hosting a dinner for him and Yasser Arafat at the World Economic Forum when I was President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in the late 90s.

Subsequently, I visited Ramallah with him and a small delegation including Nobel Laureates to hold talks with the leaders of an emerging Palestine, in a school classroom. That night he spoke before a thousand people in Tel Aviv about the inevitability of peace and a fair two-State solution. He believed in Travel & Tourism as an agent of peace and human development - he once told me "God has given us the perfect destination in this region... now we must develop and manage it wisely together.”

He was a lovely decent man, and we should follow his vision.

Rest in Peace. - Geoffrey Lipman
SUN Co-founder