The event was attended by Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organisation Khusrav Noziri, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, high-ranking guests, representatives of foreign delegations, and representatives of local and foreign media.

After the ceremony, the Chairman of the XI Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Tourism (ICTM) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (Republic of Azerbaijan) delivered a speech. Then the chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the field of tourism was transferred to the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In his welcome speech, Aziz Abdukhakimov, noted that under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, large-scale reforms are being carried out to turn tourism into one of the strategic areas of our economy.

"At the end of 2023, the tourism sector in Uzbekistan has been fully restored. Our country has been visited by 7 million tourists. 21 million trips were made in the direction of domestic tourism. The export of tourist services exceeded 2.1 billion dollars, accounting for 40 percent of the total volume of exports of services, the minister said. - Today, 370 thousand people are employed in the sphere. Due to the dynamic tourism business environment, the benefits provided, and infrastructure solutions, tourism is becoming popular among the population, especially young people. The diversification of tourism has helped to increase the length of stay of foreign tourists in Uzbekistan from 3-4 days in 2017 to 8-10 days by today."

A.Abdukhakimov noted that during his presidency, Uzbekistan will pay special attention to the formation of "tourism of the future" on the territory of the OIC, the implementation of the "Smart Tourist Destinations" program, the "Islamic Tourist Centers" program and mega-information tours on them, the creation of the "OIC Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund", strengthening sponsorship and charitable restoration activities and conservation of heritage sites valuable to Islamic civilization. 
He put forward such proposals as the formation of the "OIC Ecotourism Network", the establishment of close cooperation between the UN Tourism Organisation and the International Academy of Tourism in Samarkand.

OIC Secretary General Hissein Ibrahim Taha, expressed gratitude to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Government and the people of Uzbekistan for the high level of organization of this conference, as well as for the warm welcome and hospitality. 

“The growing interest in Islamic Tourism brings significant advantages to the Member States in leveraging and leading this industry. A collective coordination to utilize Halal supply chain is essential to promote Islamic Tourism, as it is now become one of the most influential sectors in driving economic growth as well as an opportunity to improve in a significative manner the intra-OIC Tourism. It represents an excellent opportunity for Member States to harness the economic, cultural, and social benefits of this rapidly growing sector”, said OIC Secretary General Hissein Ibrahim Taha. He also called on the member states of the organization to expand cooperation in the field of religious tourism and share best practices. 

Salim al-Malik, Director General of Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, emphasized Uzbekistan's vast experience, far-sighted policy and commitment to the development of tourism under the leadership of the country's President. He expressed confidence that the presidency of Uzbekistan will bring serious results and raise tourism cooperation in the OIC space to a qualitatively new level.

 

During the event, Uzbekistan's tourism potential was also presented.  It showed the rich cultural heritage of our country, holy sites that attract foreign tourists, and other tourist sites.

Working sessions were also organized. At the first session, the agenda and work program of the Ministerial Conference were adopted, and the report of the Chairman of the meeting of senior officials of the XII session of the ICTM and the reports of the delegations of the OIC Member States were heard.

At the second working session, statements by ministers and heads of delegations were announced, and a decision was considered and made on the further development of the tourism sector. In addition, the date and place of the XIII ICTM session were determined, and other important issues were considered. 

For information: within the framework of the XI session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, held in Baku in 2022, it was decided to declare one of the cities of Uzbekistan, Khiva, as "the OIS City of Tourism" for the first time in 2024. The recognition of reforms such as the simplification of the visa regime, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the improvement of historic cities by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was a key factor in the victory.

Moreover, the restoration of the historical appearance of the city of Khiva, the restoration and conservation work carried out, as well as the dismantling of electric poles, conditions for receiving a large flow of tourists, infrastructure improvements, the construction of a 5-star hotel, as well as the construction of boutique hotels and hostels, were particularly noted. In addition, the favorable conditions created for entrepreneurs in tourism and related fields were highly appreciated.