Opening Ceremony (PRNewsFoto/Tripcook)
The 22nd annual Tourism Fair took place at UzExpoCenter, Tashkent to promote travel industry in Uzbekistan and countries along the ancient Great Silk Road. The fair is a traditional venue to provide a platform for discussions and lay out plans for the development of tourism in the region.
VICTORIA, Seychelles – The 2016 International Tourism Fair was held from 5 to 7 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan organized by Uzbek Tourism Authority "UzbekTourism" and backed by UNWTO.
The 22nd annual Tourism Fair took place at UzExpoCenter, Tashkent to promote travel industry in Uzbekistan and countries along the ancient Great Silk Road. The fair is a traditional venue to provide a platform for discussions and lay out plans for the development of tourism in the region.
The opening ceremony was launched by a government official (Mr. Farrukh Rizayev, Chairman of National Company UzbekTourism) and invited international guests, Mr. Zhu Shanzhong, Executive Director for Technical Cooperation and Services, and Mrs. Eumporn Jiragalwisul from Moscow Office, Thailand Tourism Authority. The speakers discussed annual trends and dynamics of tourism development in the country, broader region of Central Asia and along the Silk Road as a global project supported and promoted by UNWTO. The UNWTO speaker mentioned the importance of a 2015 joint initiative of UzbekTourism and UNWTO which was called Uzbekistan Tourism Insight – Findings from the Uzbekistan International Visitor Economy Survey 2014 and National Tourism Satellite Accounts.
The fair was traditionally composed of several official events and a number of presentations made by participating businesses, national and foreign tourism boards and associations. The 2016 TITF featured the following events:
– International Conference on Environmental Tourism As An Important Factor For Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection: Experience of Uzbekistan And International Practices
– International Practical Conference on Service Sector Of Uzbekistan And Tourism: Current State, Problems and Prospects
– Exhibitors' presentations and Oriental Bazaar
– Several concerts and performances by local dance groups and traditional folk artists.
Like in previous years, the fair was based on two big venues. The first, Oriental Bazaar, was designed to feature local hotels and resorts, tour operators and transport companies which provide travel services inside the region; and a pool of local ethnic musical groups, folk collectives, dancers, and handcraft artisans presenting their products to the public and tourism sector.
The second pavilion was devoted to outbound tourism and local and foreign companies offering their products and services in the Uzbek market. Proactive players in this segment are India, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.
The fair was widely covered by local, regional and international media. Tripcook, the international travel business promotion agency, partnered with Uzbek tour operator Aba Sayyoh as information and media partner, to have its presence in Tashkent during the fair and reach local travel companies at the fair with its extensive set of promotion tools.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
