Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The exhibition has brought together more than 200 representatives of tour operators, hotels, and transport companies from Central Asia, Türkiye, Russia, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. Over the course of two days, participants are holding B2B meetings, business negotiations, and presentations showcasing Uzbekistan's tourism potential, while discussing the development of pilgrimage tourism and opportunities for expanding international cooperation.

The opening ceremony was attended by S.Bobokalonov, Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In his remarks, he emphasized that the development of pilgrimage tourism is one of the priorities of the country's state tourism policy aimed at further strengthening Uzbekistan's tourism potential. According to him, the exhibition contributes to promoting the national tourism product in international markets, attracting foreign pilgrims, and expanding cooperation with international partners.

The exhibition builds on a series of successful presentations of the project previously held in Türkiye, Malaysia, and Indonesia, creating new opportunities to promote the "Umrah+" program, which combines the Umrah pilgrimage with visits to Uzbekistan's tourist cities.

Particular attention is being given to the development of new "Umrah+" itineraries that combine the pilgrimage with travel across Uzbekistan. As part of the business program, participants are holding B2B meetings and negotiations, with around 100 cooperation agreements expected to be signed to develop new tourism products and strengthen partnerships between Uzbek and international companies.

International participants are also visiting the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, and an agreement has been reached to include the Center among the key sites featured in pilgrimage itineraries offered to foreign visitors.

Uzbekistan continues to strengthen its position as one of the emerging destinations for pilgrimage tourism. During the first five months of 2026, the country welcomed more than 5.3 million international visitors. Strong growth has also been recorded in key source markets: compared to the same period last year, arrivals from Azerbaijan increased by nearly 82%, from Malaysia by more than twofold, from Indonesia by over 63%, and from Türkiye by almost 19% during January–May 2026.