In Samarkand’s Forumlar Majmuasi Complex on October 2, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai, who had arrived in this country to take part in the 99th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council.
Greeting the guest, Islam Karimov said that Uzbekistan regards the current visit as the confirmation of UNWTO commitment to further the bilateral cooperation.
The two sides discussed issues of interaction designed to advance the international, ecological, natural, cultural, medical and other modern types of tourism in Uzbekistan, a corresponding infrastructure, to study and restore historical monuments, to train specialists and raise their professionalism, as well as the joint promotion of the brand of the Great Silk Road.
Uzbekistan acceded to the UN World Tourism Organization in 1993, and the UNWTO Regional Center for the Silk Route has operated in Samarkand since 2004.
As the leading world institution in tourism, UNWTO has actively assisted in intercultural exchange and spiritual enrichment of peoples. The organization has more than 150 member nations, and it funds and runs diverse projects on this front in many countries.
Currently, the share of tourism in the gross global product is 9 percent; it accounts for 29 percent of the global exports of services, and the industry employs in excess of 235 million people worldwide. The revenue generated from travel services in the world amounts to 1.4 trillion US dollars.
At present, UNWTO runs 5 programs for major regions of the planet, including the transcontinental scheme “The Great Silk Road”.
The annual Tashkent International Tourism Fair, held since 1994, is one of the principal wings of that project. For the past period, the fair has turned into the biggest professional forum of Central Asia in the travel industry.
The program of the 20th Tashkent International Tourism Fair envisages a number of critical events. Especially important is the 99th Session of UNWTO Executive Council in Samarkand organized on the eve of the fair. At the meeting, delegations from more than 30 countries discuss pressing issues in the evolution of international tour industry. The session is timed to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Samarkand Declaration on Silk Road Tourism.
The decision to hold the 99th Session of UNWTO Executive Council in Samarqand became another bright confirmation of the steadily rising international standing of Uzbekistan and the acknowledgement of its vast tourism potential. The forum is expected to facilitate further consolidation and enhancement of cooperation with foreign tour companies. The session is to allow the world’s leading experts to exchange experience and views on the current state and prospects of the development of international travel market, discuss new trends and urgent issues in the sector and demonstrate its new capacities.
Taleb Rifai extended his sincere gratitude to President Islam Karimov for a warm welcome and the high level of organization of the session. The UNWTO Secretary General confirmed the willingness of the organization to enhance comprehensive cooperation with Uzbekistan.
