Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov, during a meeting with the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, acquainted him with the modern development of the tourism industry in Uzbekistan.

It was noted that at present, a process of radical reform of the sphere has been launched, the purpose of which is to transform tourism into a strategic direction for the development of the national economy. Information was also provided on the sanitary and hygienic protocols “Uzbekistan: safe travel guaranteed” developed by Uzbekistan and the procedure for entering Uzbekistan for foreign citizens, the activities of the Silk Road International Tourism University in Samarkand and professional colleges specializing in this area.

Noting that education is one of the main resources for the further development and restoration of the tourism industry, the parties agreed to jointly develop criteria for certification of graduates of vocational educational institutions in Uzbekistan. This measure will improve the professional standards and skills of national personnel in the field of tourism, as well as ensure the entry of professional personnel into the world service market. Another area of cooperation, according to the parties, should be attracting investment in the tourism sector.

Having familiarized himself with the tourist potential of Tashkent region, in particular the ski resort Amirsoy, the UNWTO Secretary General stressed that Uzbekistan remains one of the few countries in the world that continue to invest in tourism during the pandemic. The parties also reached an agreement on holding in June 2021 (depending on the further development of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the world) a global investment forum under the auspices of the UNWTO in Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region.

Zurab Pololikashvili informed that UNWTO together with Italy are planning to organize the first forum of children’s tourism in Italy, during which it was proposed to organize a presentation of the Uzbek experience of educating young tourists. At the same time, a request was also expressed to consider the possibility of holding a second such forum in 2022 in Uzbekistan.

The talks also discussed the development of pilgrimage (religious) tourism. Recognizing the rich heritage of Uzbekistan in this segment, Zurab Pololikashvili noted that every two years UNWTO prepares a study on this topic. He proposed to include the study of the historical heritage of the republic in the next edition of this study in 2021.