President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed the creation of the "Central Asia Tourism Ring."
The President called on the ADB and other partners to form a portfolio of tourism development projects and co-finance them.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted the tourism potential of Central Asia during a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank.
It was noted that due to global instability, millions of tourists are seeking safe destinations. Central Asia has great potential in tourism sectors such as pilgrimage, cultural, gastronomic, ethno, extreme, and medical tourism.
Uzbekistan has paid special attention to this field, implementing reforms focused on necessary infrastructure, services, visas, and transport, and most importantly, ensuring tourist safety. As a result, the flow of foreign tourists to Uzbekistan has increased sixfold over ten years, reaching 12 million.
Complexes such as the Center for Islamic Civilization recently opened in Tashkent and the Imam Bukhari Memorial Complex built in Samarkand are also being constructed in neighboring countries. Therefore, the President put forward an initiative to create a tourist destination uniting the region's countries – 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 co-finance them.
