World tourism will reach a 5-to-7-percent growth during 2005, as forecast Thursday by Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Francesco Frangialli. Tourism in Turkey increased 25 percent in the first four months of the year, Frangialli said at the inauguration of a conference titled "Excellence in the Public-Private Management of Tourist Destinations."

The WTO official said it will be difficult to reach growth percentages as those of 2004, yet he said that he was optimistic about the trends of the sector in the first four months of the year.

Last year, there were 660 million global travelers, 69 million more than in 2003.

Frangialli said that the contribution of knowledge is "key" for the sector, so he reiterated his support to the WTO Education Council in its drive for sustainability and competitiveness as well as better management of the sector.

Source: Xinhua