Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The event was attended by Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism; Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism; Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism of the UAE; Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism of Bahrain; and other senior officials and representatives.

The participation of the Uzbek delegation in the dialogue was aimed at studying the experience of the Gulf countries in restoring the tourism sector amid challenging external conditions, assessing further tourism development trends in the region, increasing tourist flows from the region to Uzbekistan, and expanding practical cooperation with these countries.

At the opening of the session, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri noted that recent developments in the Middle East had directly affected the tourism sector. He stressed that, under the current circumstances, it was too early to speak of significant results or performance indicators and that there were not yet sufficient grounds to claim any achievements. At the same time, he noted that the dialogue would mark the beginning of intensified efforts to restore tourism activity, further strengthen and develop the sector, increase openness to international travellers and ensure a high level of safety.

Abdulaziz Akkulov emphasised that Uzbekistan offers new opportunities as a promising tourism destination that is rapidly developing in the international tourism market. He also noted that, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, efforts are underway to promote Central Asia as a single tourism region, stressing the importance of developing cross-border tourism routes and intensifying cooperation across all areas.

Shaikha Al Nuwais highlighted that cooperation and joint efforts are among the key factors in ensuring the sustainable development of the tourism sector. She noted that Uzbekistan’s efforts, as well as its initiative to promote the International Safe Tourism Code, could serve as a practical example for other countries. In conclusion, the Secretary-General highlighted the upcoming official opening of the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027, which will take place in Tashkent, and invited the participants to visit Uzbekistan and attend the ceremony.