Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has put forward an initiative to create a Central Asia Tourism Ring.
The proposal was made at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the city of Samarkand on May 4, the Uzbek Tourism Committee reported.
The President of Uzbekistan highlighted the tourism potential of Central Asia.
He noted that due to the unstable situation in the world, millions of tourists are seeking safe destinations. Central Asia has significant potential in such types of tourism as pilgrimage, cultural, gastronomic, ethnographic, extreme, and medical tourism.
Uzbekistan is paying special attention to this sector by implementing reforms aimed at developing the necessary infrastructure, services, visa and transport systems, as well as ensuring the safety of tourists. As a result, over the past ten years, the flow of foreign tourists to Uzbekistan has increased sixfold, reaching 12 million people.
The President proposed the creation of a unified tourism space uniting the countries of the region — the Central Asia Tourism Ring.
The head of state called on neighboring countries, the Asian Development Bank, and other partners to form a portfolio of tourism development projects and jointly finance them.
