On the sidelines of his visit to Samarkand to participate in the 25th Session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the ECO Secretary General Ambassador Khusrav Noziri met with the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Umid Shadiev.
The interaction encompassed regional tourism cooperation, especially the role of the ECO and its agenda for promoting collaboration on tourism amongst its Member States.
The ECO Secretary General stressed that holding such a big global event will serve to promote the region’s natural beauty and huge tourism potential while expressing his gratitude for extending an invitation to the ECO for UNWTO GA session. The ECO Secretary General emphasized that tourism is placed as one of the main items on the agenda of the ECO Summits, the next session of which is scheduled to be held on November 9, 2023, in Tashkent. He hoped that celebrations and other activities in the framework of unveiling the city of Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan, as the ECO Tourism Capital for 2024 would bring a wide variety of tourism stakeholders together to enhance the development of regional tourism. The importance of setting up a network mechanism for the ECO Tourism Capitals in terms of making this initiative more sustainable was also discussed during the meeting.
The Chairman of the Tourism Committee appreciated the ECO delegation for attending the General Assembly of UNWTO and informed about development of the tourism sector in the country. He emphasized that by providing a visa-free regime for tourists from 93 countries and investing more in tourism infrastructure, Uzbekistan is planning to attract more tourists in the upcoming years. By the end of this year, they expect to receive 7 million tourists, for next year, Uzbekistan has a plan to raise this number to 10 million, the Chairman added.
The dignitaries also exchanged views on the ways of promoting cultural initiatives in the ECO Member States jointly.
