The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Kuala Lumpur organized online negotiations in the B2B format between travel companies of Uzbekistan and Malaysia. The meeting was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan and the Malaysian Association of Travel Companies and Operators (MATTA).
Representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan, Vice-president of MATTA for outbound tourism Cynthia Tan Bee Sim, management of more than 60 and Malaysia participated at the online meeting.
Uzbekistan familiarized the Malaysian travel companies with detailed information on the tourism potential of Uzbekistan, ongoing measures taken by the government on developing the hospitality industry and promoting ziarat/pilgrimage tourism in Uzbekistan. Other tourist destinations of Uzbekistan including historical, cultural, archaeological, ecological, gastronomic, extreme, sports and recreational tourism were also introduced to the meeting participants. New health and safety conditions for tourists visiting Uzbekistan during the pandemic, including the new international certification system “Uzbekistan. Safe travel GUARANTEED" were also presented to the Malaysian partners.
The sides also exchanged views on the prospects for restoring tourist flow between Uzbekistan and Malaysia, the possibilities of promoting the tourist routes and destinations of Uzbekistan in Malaysia in the current conditions and in the after-pandemic period.
Cynthia Tan noted that with its rich history and culture, Uzbekistan has great potential as an attractive destination for tourists from Malaysia.
She also mentioned two main factors restraining the growth of the Malaysian tourist flow to Uzbekistan:
- The need for Malaysians to obtain permission from the Special Commission to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine in a hotel at their own expense or at the place of residence on their return entry to Malaysia, based on the decision of the Ministry of Health.
- The lack of regular direct flights of Uzbekistan Airways, to which the Malaysian and regional market was "accustomed", and which was in good demand among business, academic circles and tourists. This is because other existing transit routes via Dubai or Istanbul are unacceptable for Malaysian tourists in terms of price range and flight duration/waiting time, in particular, 20 to 36 hours.
As a result of the event, Uzbekistan and Malaysia reached a number of agreements on establishing direct partnerships between travel companies of the two countries, developing competitive tour packages by travel agents of Uzbekistan and sending them to Malaysian companies, organizing weekly and ten-day study and advertising tours to Uzbekistan for Malaysian travel companies by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan in 2022.