His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan, received UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the Royal Palace in Amman to discuss the strategic importance of the country’s tourism sector, as well as scope for further cooperation between Jordan and UNWTO.

UNWTO has called for the industry to show its solidarity with Greece at this difficult moment, underlying that tourism is a key sector for the Hellenic country and can be part of the solution in the process of economic recovery.

International tourism is steadily rebounding from an extremely challenging 2009, led by Africa and Asia, according to the latest figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. International tourist arrivals grew 7 percent during the first two months of 2010 and follows a 2 percent rise during the last quarter of 2009.

United Nations World Travel Organisation secretary-general Taleb Rifai has welcomed European Union efforts to bolster socially responsible tourism across the continent. Speaking at a conference in Madrid, Mr Rifai highlighted the importance of the sector to continued economic development among the member states.

UNWTO welcomes the outcome of the First T.20 Ministers’ Meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa (22-24 February) to debate the contribution of tourism to the global agenda, in particular to the ongoing process of supporting economic recovery and the transformation towards a greener and more sustainable economy.

“Global challenges such as the recent economic crisis and the climate imperatives can only be addressed in a global cooperative manner and in fora such as the UN or the G-20”