Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 12 March, the Festival of Mountain Resorts of Eurasia started in the Rosa Khutor mountain resort in Sochi. The festival was organized by the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts (EAMR).

About 150 guests from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan take part in the festival.

The opening of the festival took place with a discussion session dedicated to the topic “Sustainable development of tourism in specially protected areas (SPNA).”

Representatives of both government agencies and private business of the Russian Federation took part in the discussion.

In the context of the discussion, it was noted that most resorts, including ski resorts, are located in protected areas.

Governments and the private sector are working together to create a tourism infrastructure that promotes outdoor recreation for citizens.

The development of tourism in such areas not only contributes to the generation of funds that are used to protect nature.

Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Development of Tourist Infrastructure of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sangadji Tarbaev noted that it is important to allow tourism to develop without damage to the environment and nature.

The discussion participants noted that when creating this infrastructure, it is necessary to introduce green technologies and take measures to effectively protect the environment.

The importance of developing education and environmental culture of the population was also noted. Unfortunately, there are still cases where tourists litter in nature or cause damage to the environment.

In the second part of the discussion, representatives of resorts in Uzbekistan, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan discussed measures taken at resorts to protect nature.

General Director of the Rosa Khutor resort Alexander Belokobylsky noted that the festival combines a variety of communication formats, which allows creating the right atmosphere for professional and friendly dialogue. “In this way, we contribute to strengthening interstate, economic and cultural ties between our countries,” he added.

General Director of the Amirsoy mountain resort Saidvali Saidkhodjaev spoke about the measures taken in Uzbekistan to protect the environment. He also noted: “Such meetings will not replace any of the methods of contact. We have brought a large team of rescuers and instructors who will share their experience and take a closer look at the methods and technologies of their colleagues from other countries that are members of the Alliance.”

It is noted that regulating the number of visitors is an important aspect for protecting the environment. To do this, resorts use various tools to manage the influx of visitors, including pricing.

On 14 March, the official opening of the festival took place on the Alley of Flags of the Mountain Olympic Village.

Then, instructors from Eurasian mounthain resort teams demonstrated their skiing skills on demonstration slopes on the “Men’s Olympic Descent” track (1600 m).

At the demonstration slopes, Uzbekistan was represented by instructors and rescuers from the Amirsoy ski resort.

Elvina Turjanova, head of the Amirsoy marketing department, noted that the Amirsoy delegation consists of 11 people. She emphasized that Amirsoy at the festival represents the possibilities of ski holidays in Uzbekistan.

She noted that the Amirsoy team of instructors and rescuers represented Uzbekistan by performing a signature ski descent to the national music Yor Yor.

In the afternoon, festival participants discussed the joint development of mountain tourism in Eurasia.

The leaders of Eurasian mountain resorts discussed ways of cooperation and problems of interaction, including joint promotion of mountain tourism and the introduction of joint ski passes.

The creation of the EAMR, in their opinion, helps to increase the influx of tourists to the organization’s mountain resorts.

The participants also discussed plans for further development of cooperation.

On this day, festival participants also took part in interactive lectures by the Corporate University of the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts on various topics, including “The Concept of Global Security: Marketing and Services”, “Experience Marketing” and “Competency Development”.

Later in the evening, a national culinary festival of Eurasian countries took place, where ski resorts in Uzbekistan, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan presented a variety of national dishes.

The Amirsoy delegation prepared festive Uzbek pilaf.

On 15 March, instructors from mountain resorts held master classes on skiing.

The Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts (EAMC) was created in June 2023. The mountain resorts Rosa Khutor (Russia), Shymbulak (Kazakhstan) and Amirsoy (Uzbekistan) became the founders of the alliance.

The goal of the EAMR is to provide a platform for the strategic development of tourism in the Eurasian space, professional communication, promotion of best practices and brands of mountain resorts.

In November 2023, the Shahdag resort (Azerbaijan) joined the EAMR.

The main goals of the alliance are to promote all-season mountain tourism and popularize an active lifestyle, exchange necessary information and best practices, improve the professional qualifications of mountain workers, and develop common approaches to safety standards.

The headquarters of the alliance is located in Almaty (Kazakhstan).