The city of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India) hosted a meeting of the heads of tourism administrations of the SCO member states.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the meeting was also attended by a delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan led by the First Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ulugbek Azamov.

The parties considered the current state of national tourist networks. Views were exchanged on the creation of new tourist destinations, improving logistics capabilities and measures to restore the tourist flow between the SCO countries.

The participants noted the high tourism potential of Uzbekistan. The main attention was paid to the experience of Uzbekistan in developing sustainable tourism in remote areas with a unique lifestyle and rich culture: tourist villages, mahallas and streets, traditional crafts.

A plan of joint events for 2023 – the Year of Tourism Development in the SCO region was approved as part of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, put forward at the Samarkand summit of the organization.

Uzbekistan delegation also took part in cultural events dedicated to the announcement of the city of Varanasi “the cultural and tourist capital of the SCO”.

Nazokat Usmanova, UzA