Turkey becomes success story in tourism, says SG of World Tourism Organization

MADRID (A.A) - January 17, 2012 - World Tourism Organization's secretary general said that the number of tourists visiting Turkey increased by 9 percent to 30 million in 2011 when compared to 2010. Speaking to AA correspondent in Spanish capital of Madrid, Secretary General Taleb Rifai said Turkey has become one of success stories in the tourism sector. It has become one of important destinations in the tourism sector in the past 5-7 years, he said. Turkey, which had the spirit of the East, provided high-quality service to its visitors, he said. Replying to a question on Turkish tourism sector's future, Rifai said Turkey had the 7th place in the world ranking in the tourism sector and it would keep raising in the ranking. Rifai said there were perfect relations between the World Tourism Organization and Turkey. The organization would focus on visa problem of Turkish citizens in the coming period, he said. "We will focus on visa facilitation and promotional travels within next two years," he said. 2011 was a fruitful year for the world tourism sector with a 4 percent increase in the number of visitors over the previous year, he said.