Abdallah Gul, Former President of Turkey received Taleb Refai:Tourism contributes to global Peace  

Assabah Daily News : President Abdullah Gül received Secretary General Taleb Rifai of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),  and his accompanying delegation at the Çankaya Presidential Palace, Gül declared tourism to be a sector that contributes to global peace, interaction between cultures  

and to  the efforts to overcome biases. Informing the President about the tourism sector in the world, Secretary General Rifai noted that tourism helps overcome prejudice and all sorts of stereotyping, underscoring the significance of political support for tourism to be appreciated by all. He further reiterated the UNWTO’s corroboration forTurkey, which he said is a special member of the organization and of which he declared they are proud.The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a campaign  called “Global Leaders for Tourism” in 2011 which aimed to urge the world leaders to lend their support for tourism. As part of this campaign, the UNWTO and WTTC have presented an open letter to 48 leaders including President Abdullah Gül.