UNWTO Secretary General praises Armenia’s tourism industry for excellent growth
19.10.2012,
19:05
Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, praised today Armenia’s tourism industry for ‘excellent growth rates.’
YEREVAN, October 19. / ARKA /. Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, praised today Armenia’s tourism industry for ‘excellent growth rates.’
"In 2001 only some 140-150 thousand foreign tourists visited Armenia, but in 2011 the figure grew to 750,000," Rifai said at a press conference after the international conference on ‘Universal values and cultural diversity in the 21st century: the contribution of tourism."
The conference, which was held in Yerevan on October 18-19, was attended by representatives from more than 15 countries, including U.S., Germany, Italy and the CIS states.
WTO Secretary General said that today tourists want to see the unique national and cultural features of the country they visit, and in this sense, Armenia has what to offer.
In turn, Armenian economy minister Tigran Davtyan said the conference was a good opportunity to present Armenia as it was attended by the leaders of the tourism industry from around the world.
"These are the people who, on returning home, will provide information about Armenia to private sector and citizens,: he said. -0-
