Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai shared opinions Tuesday in Skopje on Macedonia's strategy for developing tourism.

The visit of UNWTO Secretary General is a good opportunity for sharing the best global practices, as well as for highlighting the great potential for growth of Macedonia's sector of tourism, Gruevski said.

The Government, he said, has been attaching special attention to the development of tourism and promotion of Macedonia as an attractive tourist destination in Europe. To that effect the Government set up a special body – the Committee for Tourism.

The numerous measures have contributed for tourism to become one of the fastest-growing sectors in Macedonia, Gruevski said. In this respect he mentioned the cutting of VAT for tourist services from 18 to 5%, subsidizing of organized international tourist turnover and low-cost flights to numerous destinations in Europe, advancing the concept of tourist development zones, improving the infrastructure – reconstruction of roads, beaches, skiing areas etc.

The Government has been working on improving the tourist services and infrastructure, planning several projects for development of alternative, rural, spa, health and recreation tourism, the PM said.

Rifai welcomed the Government's measures, saying that UNWTO is ready to cooperate with Macedonia on the development of its tourist potentials.