Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov met with the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb.

Aziz Abdulkhakimov thanked Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb for attending the 25th anniversary session of the UNWTO General Assembly. The Minister of Ecology also congratulated Saudi Arabia on the successful implementation of World Tourism Day.

For information, an international conference "World Tourism Day 2023: Tourism and Green Investments" took place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, on 27-28 September. The Uzbekistan delegation also participated in the event and presented the country’s tourism potential.

Aziz Abdukhakimov expressed gratitude for the support of Samarkand’s candidacy in the elections held in Madrid and noted that Uzbekistan would support Saudi Arabia’s candidacy for hosting the next UNWTO General Assembly session in 2026.

In turn, Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb highlighted that cooperation in the field of tourism between the two countries is strengthening.

Noting that Khiva has been declared the "Tourism Capital of the Islamic World," the Minister of Ecology invited leading Saudi Arabian media to visit Khiva to showcase the rich history and cultural heritage of this ancient city.

During the meeting, the Action Plan of the Joint Memorandum for 2024-2025 was discussed, including the activation of joint promotion of Uzbekistan’s and Saudi Arabia’s tourism potential through organizing family trips for media representatives and travel bloggers, increasing the number of flights between the two countries, organizing a photo exhibition involving leading Saudi Arabian photographers titled "Uzbekistan through the Eyes of Saudi Photographers," and other events.

For reference, in 2022, the tourist flow from Saudi Arabia to Uzbekistan was restored (1731). In the same year, there was a growth of more than 60 percent. In 2022, a memorandum of cooperation in the field of tourism was signed, aiming to increase the number of tourists to 100,000.