Johannesburg / Madrid.- Global challenges such as the recent economic crisis and the climate imperatives can only be addressed in a global cooperative manner such as the UN or the G-20, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai in his opening remarks at the Tourism Ministers Meeting (T20) on Travel and tourism: stimuli for the global economy.

The Ministry of Tourism of South Africa, with the support of UNWTO, is hosting a Tourism Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg.

Tourism ministers meeting at the UNWTO General Assembly in Kazakhstan expressed a strong sentiment that tourism should be further mainstreamed in global economic decision making.

Travel and tourism can make a valuable contribution to the economic recovery, and can be an important pillar of the global efforts to unlock enhanced economic growth, infrastructure development, trade promotion, poverty eradication and particularly job creation.

The T20 is a members-driven initiative with the support of UNWTO. Read the full speech of UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai: http://www.unwto.org/pdf/TR_T20.pdf