"Uzbekistan is a safe country for everyone"
Hong Kong media published a material about Uzbekistan's tourism.
The TV channel "HKG TVB news today" aired a report on the extension of the visa-free regime between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, the expected launch of direct flights between the two countries, and Hong Kong travel agencies' hopeful outlook on the development of bilateral tourism.
"The Center of Islamic Civilization, opened in March this year in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, has become a unique architectural landmark of the country. It showcases traditional Islamic aesthetics while incorporating technological advancements. Its collection includes the 'Uthman's Mushaf,' one of the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Holy Quran in the world," the report stated.
The report also included the thoughts of Ms. Ni, a tourist from China who visited Uzbekistan:
"The construction of the Center of Islamic Civilization was inspired by Islamic traditions. Their patterns and decorations are very intricate, which is strikingly different from Chinese architecture."
It was noted that distinctive architecture can be found everywhere in Uzbekistan, including in its metro stations. Tashkent has the oldest and longest metro line in Central Asia. The capital also boasts a 375-meter-tall television tower, which also serves as an observation tower for tourists to view the city.
"In recent years, Uzbekistan has been rapidly developing its tourism industry by easing visa procedures and improving transport infrastructure. Last year, the country welcomed over eleven million foreign tourists. During the visit of a delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, led by Chief Executive John Lee, an agreement was reached to extend the visa-free period for tourists from 10 to 30 days. A preliminary agreement was also reached on launching direct flights between the airlines of the two countries. Extending the visa-free period to thirty days will be very beneficial, as ten days is usually not enough for tourists. If direct flights to Tashkent are available in the future, it will be very convenient for tourist groups. Currently, very few people from Hong Kong travel to Uzbekistan because they do not like taking transit flights through other countries to reach Tashkent," the report elaborated.
The program also featured an interview with the President of the Hong Kong Travel Industry Council, Yip Xing:
"Only after the wars in the Middle East began did we realize that we need to work on developing this route. The most important thing when traveling is safety. I saw that Uzbekistan is very safe for everyone. There is no need to worry even about going out of the hotel at night."
For reference, on June 6th of this year, a group of over 70 representatives from tourism companies from Hong Kong visited Uzbekistan. During the visit, delegation members were introduced to the country's tourism potential on routes covering Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.
It is known that Hong Kong is considered one of the largest financial, business, and logistics centers in the Asian region. Therefore, for Uzbekistan, this region is not only a tourist market but also an important strategic direction from the perspective of investment and international cooperation.
