Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On 26 August 2026, Tashkent hosted the “Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Summit”. The event was jointly organised by the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Ecotourism Association and the international tourism organisation “TravelShop Group”. The summit had previously been held in countries with well-developed tourism industries, including Türkiye, Egypt, Vietnam and Tanzania. This year, Uzbekistan hosted the event for the first time.

The summit brought together around 50 foreign tour operators, heads of tourism companies and industry experts from more than 20 countries. Around 100 Uzbek tourism companies and businesses also took part. The programme included a conference dedicated to ecotourism, sustainable tourism and international cooperation, as well as B2B meetings between representatives of the domestic and international tourism industries.

Alongside traditional partner countries, companies from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, India, New Zealand and Malaysia actively participated in the negotiations. This helped establish contacts with new partners from promising long-haul markets and significantly expand the geographical scope of tourism cooperation.

One of the important outcomes of the summit was the establishment of contacts with tour operators serving high-spending Muslim communities in Canada, the United Kingdom and European countries. As one of the major centres of Islamic civilisation, Uzbekistan is of particular interest to this category of travellers due to its rich pilgrimage tourism heritage. At the same time, the unique architectural heritage of its ancient cities, distinctive mountain resorts, pristine natural areas and national cuisine can make pilgrimage trips more diverse and comprehensive. Integrated routes combining pilgrimage, cultural, ecological, mountain and recreational tourism can help increase visitors’ length of stay and provide a broader experience of Uzbekistan’s tourism potential.

In accordance with the agreements reached, Uzbek tourism companies are establishing cooperation with the international online booking platform “TravelShop Booking”. This will enable tourism products from Uzbekistan to be sold and booked through the platform, with payments processed via an international distribution network. Companies will also be able to use digital marketing tools.

As a practical outcome of the agreements reached, a national pavilion of Uzbekistan is planned to be organised at an international tourism exhibition to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, on 25–28 October 2026. More than 10 tourism companies from Uzbekistan will participate in the exhibition and directly present national tourism products to international partners.

Overall, the summit created a strong foundation for establishing cooperation with new markets, developing joint routes, introducing national tourism products to an international digital distribution network, and ensuring Uzbekistan’s consistent participation in international tourism exhibitions. The Tourism Committee will continue working to implement the agreements reached and increase tourist arrivals from long-haul international markets.