Uzbekistan has proposed creating a single tourism ring for Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the official opening ceremony of the 59th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Report informs.
He noted that amid global instability, millions of tourists are seeking safe destinations.
"Central Asia has enormous potential in areas such as pilgrimage, cultural, gastronomic, ethnographic, extreme, and medical tourism. We are paying special attention to this area and have implemented a number of reforms aimed at creating the necessary infrastructure, services, visa and transportation support, and, above all, ensuring the safety of tourists," Mirziyoyev emphasized.
The head of state noted that over the past 10 years, the flow of foreign tourists to Uzbekistan has increased sixfold, reaching 12 million people annually.
"By launching the initiative to create a Central Asian tourism ring-a tourism space uniting the countries of the region-we call on neighboring states, the Asian Development Bank, and our other partners to form a portfolio of tourism development projects and jointly finance them," Mirziyoyev added.