Shusha, Azerbaijan – 28 April 2026
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) successfully convened the 9th Meeting of the High-Level Experts Group on Tourism on 28 April 2026 in Shusha, Azerbaijan, as a preparatory meeting for the upcoming 7th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Tourism. On the sidelines of the meeting, a vibrant Gastronomy Festival with the participation of ECO Secretary General Dr. Asad M. Khan was organized, showcasing the rich culinary traditions of ECO Member States through dishes prepared by chefs from across the region.
The meeting brought together senior officials, and tourism experts from ECO Member States as well as the officials of the Secretariat including the Deputy Secretary General Ambssador Yerzhan Mukash to review progress in regional tourism cooperation and advance key strategic initiatives. The gathering was hosted in Shusha, the ECO Tourism Capital for 2026, underscoring the city’s growing importance as a hub for cultural and sustainable tourism.
Participants reviewed the implementation of decisions adopted under the Erzurum Declaration of the previous ECO Ministerial Meeting on Tourism and discussed priority areas for further collaboration. Key agenda items included the endorsement of the Compendium of Best Practices for Ecotourism in the ECO Region and the Policy Brief on Diversifying Intra-Regional Tourism, aimed at expanding tourism offerings across member states.
Deliberations also focused on the draft Roadmap for the Expansion of Tourism Services (2026–2030), which will contribute to the broader framework of the upcoming ECO Strategic Goals for Economic Cooperation for 2035. Participants further worked on finalizing the draft Shusha Declaration.
The meeting also considered the nomination of Aktau, proposed by Kazakhstan, as the ECO Tourism Capital for 2030, with discussions expected to conclude at the ministerial level.
