The Office of the President of European Council on Tourism and Trade announced that President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh has been selected as a World Leader of Tourism and a member of European Tourism Academy for his "recognition of the role and significance of tourism on the world stage."

The official letter by European Council on Tourism and Trade encourages Djibouti's leadership to continue on the road for development and poverty reduction via tourism growth, Pr.com reported.

The letter signed by the council's president, Professor Anton Caragea, and European Tourism Academy Director Mircea Constantinescu for Djibouti's president reads:

Under your leadership, the government of Republic of Djibouti has for a long time recognized and promoted the importance of culture and tourism as key facilitators for the country's development and international promotion. According to the World Bank's most recent report on the world economy, Guelleh's developmental policies lifted Djibouti out of poverty and elevated it to the world's top five fastest growing economies in 2018.