On November 19, the first International Investment Forum in Tourism Sphere, dedicated to active development of tourism industry in Uzbekistan and attraction of foreign direct investment, kicked off at Uzexpocentre.

On November 19, the first International Investment Forum in Tourism Sphere, dedicated to active development of tourism industry in Uzbekistan and attraction of foreign direct investment, kicked off at Uzexpocentre.

The event is held by the State Committees of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development and Investment in cooperation with Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The forum is attended by over 300 representatives from 48 countries, in particular Afghanistan, Austria, Belgium, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Central Asian countries, as well as representatives of international organizations, large foreign companies.

The address of the UN World Tourism Organization Deputy Secretary-General Jaime Alberto Cabal to the forum participants was demonstrated at the event. 

At the forum, participants were provided with information on growing activity of entrepreneurs in the investment sphere, in particular, on provision of tax and customs benefits to entrepreneurs in the sphere of tourism, licensing and certification procedures.

At the event, well-known investment companies from the USA, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Singapore and Turkey showed interest in developing joint projects for creation of infrastructure facilities in Uzbekistan.

At the sessions of the forum held at the International Trade Center, proposals on projects involving investment in hotel business, provision of buildings and structures, land plots with investment commitments were discussed. Reports of domestic and foreign experts on transport and logistics, low-cost airlines and railways, as well as construction of ethnographic villages and parks in the country were heard. Bilateral meetings and negotiations on prospects for introduction of innovative technologies and interactive systems in tourism sector took place.

More than 500 investment projects from all regions of the country, in particular, projects of free tourism zone Charvak, Samarkand city, Ancient Bukhara, small tourism zones in Surkhandarya region, as well as Olmazor city and Fergana road in the city of Tashkent were presented at the forum.

Participants of the event became familiar with the exhibition of national handicraft products and tourism opportunities of the regions, at Uzexpocentre.

The forum will continue until November 21. Within its framework, B2B and B2G meetings will be held. Following the forum, it is planned to sign agreements on cooperation in various fields between relevant ministries, agencies, representatives of business community and foreign investors.