Anna Nazaryan
“Radiolur”
The Yerevan Declaration and the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism were signed in Yerevan today upon the completion of the “Universal Values and Cultural Diversity in the 21st Century: The Role of Tourism” conference of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“Armenia is a rather attractive country for tourism with its culture, villages and mountains. I disagree with the opinion that the lack of sea makes a country less attractive,” UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifa said.
According to him, people in Armenia are very warm and smiling, something one can rarely see in other countries.
Tourism has greatly developed in Armenia over the past ten years; the number of tourists has increased six times, which means there are good perspectives for the development of the sphere.
Does the closed border between Armenia and Turkey hamper the development of tourism in Armenia? “We stand for open borders, but the reality is not always satisfying,” he said, adding that the issue will be solved over time.
Armenian Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan and UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifa signed the Yerevan Declaration, which aims to reinforce the intercultural dialogue to promote the development of tourism.
