The Uzbek-Russian Tourism Forum was held in an online format as a part of the Second Forum of the Uzbek–Russian Interregional Cooperation.
The forum was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Deputy hokims of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khorezm regions for tourism, sports and culture, heads of travel companies and tour operators of Uzbekistan.
Russian Federation was represented by the Federal Agency for Tourism and the Association of Tour Operators, ministers of the Chelyabinsk Region and the Republic of Crimea, representatives of the mayor’s offices of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, as well as travel companies and agencies of Russia at the event.
The Uzbek side held a presentation about the tourism capacity of Uzbekistan, the development of the tourism industry in the country, measures on supporting the private sector by the Uzbek government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Requirements and rules established by the Uzbek government for receiving visitors and tourists to Uzbekistan during the pandemic conditions were also explained to the forum participants.
Russian Federation was highlighted as one of the leading countries cooperating with Uzbekistan in the field of tourism. It was also mentioned that Russian tourists have had become frequent visitors to Uzbekistan during the last ears. The tourists flow from Russia has been increasing significantly during the past years: for instance, the number of Russian tourists in Uzbekistan had increased by 455 000 people during 2019, right before the pandemic.
At the same time, representatives of the Russian tourism sector also introduced Uzbek side with ongoing progress and changes in the sector, and how the country is adapting the tourism sector under the new conditions in the world. New tourist destinations such as medical and recreational tourism, industrial tourism and other types were mentioned during the presentation.
As a result of the meeting and concluding the Uzbek-Russian Tourism Forum, the sides agreed to design and develop new measures in order to enhance cooperation in the tourism field between Uzbekistan and Russia. The measures will include increasing tourist flow between the countries, resuming regular flights, conducting a stable dialogue between travel administrations and representatives of the tourism industry of Uzbekistan and Russia. Actively supporting the tourism business in Uzbekistan and Russian and the implementation of new joint projects are also in the list of discussed measures and action plans of the forum.
