27 January 2017•Update: 27 January 2017
ISTANBUL
The UN World Tourism Organization Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, has urged people to continue traveling despite the threat of terror attacks around the world.
Speaking to the media during his visit to the Turkic Council in Istanbul on Friday, Rifai said: "When we stop traveling, terror will win. We should continue traveling and keep the borders open."
He said the increase in terror attacks over the last few years had affected tourism negatively around the globe. He added no country in the world is 100 percent safe against terrorism.
Turkic Council Secretary-General Ambassador Ramil Hasanov said: "Tourism is an opportunity for people to become friends, know, love and give value to each other."
Hasanov hoped people would continue to travel despite terror threats.
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism.
As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, also known as the Turkic Council, was established in 2009 as an international intergovernmental organization, with the aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states. Its four founding member states are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
Reporting by Adem Demir and Hikmet Faruk Baser; Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet
