FESTIVITY FOR DJIBOUTI THE WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM

Djibouti played host for a week (16 to 22 April 2018) to global tourism celebrations marking the inscription of the capital city on the list of WORLD CAPITAL`s OF CULTURE AND TOURISM.

Attending the ceremonies was a high ranking delegation of global tourism institutions European Council on Tourism and Trade and European Tourism Academy lead by President Professor Dr. Anton Caragea.

The world tourism delegates where welcomed with a colorful ceremony on the Djibouti Airport tarmac and received lush flowers bouquets in a sign of peaceful arrival.

On April 18, 2018, a working session with representatives of Presidency of Djibouti chaired by Secretary General Mohamed Abdillahi Wais, Ministry of Economy (with tourism as mandate), Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Information and with the delegates of European Council on Tourism and Trade and European Tourism Academy chaired by President Dr. Anton Caragea has taken place.

During the day a series of dialogues where held between Professor Dr. Anton Caragea and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation-Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Minister of Culture, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Moumin Hassan Barreh, Ministry of Tourism and The President of the National Assembly of Djibouti Mr.Mohamed Ali Houmed.

The main event of the week of celebrations was the official inscription of DJIBOUTI as WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM in a powerful, music and rhythm driven ceremony destined to showcase the cultural endowment of people of Djibouti.
On display where ceremonial weaponry, costumes, dances, ceremonies of Issas, Afars, Yemenis constituting the matrix of today`s Djibouti.

Actors, poets, dancers and musicians from far and wide contributed to a glittering performance and crafted a vivid portrait of a young and yet cultured nation.

Congratulatory remarks were addressed for the delegates attending DJIBOUTI as WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM festivities by Ministers of culture and Islamic Foundations, Ministry of Tourism and a presentation of the country new tourism strategy was unveiled for the benefit of those present.

The core of the festivity came at the moment of announcing H.E. President Ismail Omar Guelleh as the new ACADEMICIAN member of EUROPEAN TOURISM ACADEMY with a powerful presentation speech by Academician Mircea Constantinescu, European Academy Director.
President of European Council on Tourism and Trade - Professor Dr. Anton Caragea took to the rostrum to announce officially that from April 19, 2018, DJIBOUTI is THE WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM in recognition of a splendid array of natural and historical monuments encapsulated in a rapidly developing country and powered by a dynamic people.

H.E. Ismail Omar Gulleh, The President of Djibouti come to the fore to a rapturous welcome by his people and was surrounded with huge manifestations of love and respect and ululations of admiration for his crowning as a new ACADEMICIAN and for the country assuming the new mantle as WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM.

In a prominent and poignant allocution President Omar Gulleh, now Academician Ismail Omar Gulleh charted the new directions for his country and promised to further endeavor to make Djibouti recognized and to etch the name of his nation on the global stage.

Djibouti as a WORLD CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM has become a center of beaming culture, a beacon of development on the banks of the Red Sea and a tourism center for the Horn of Africa showing to all the region that another destiny free from fear and poverty is possible.