BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 26
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Samarkand is planned to become a center for MICE tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) and international conferences, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan.
Minister of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov at a press conference in Samarkand said that this year it is planned to attract 1.3 million of local tourists and some 220,000 foreign tourists to the Samarkand region, which will lead to restoring 1,000 jobs in the tourism sector.
Also, it is planned to improve and reconstruct a dozen cultural heritage sites and sports facilities.
Thus, in order to attract foreign tourists to the shrines of the Samarkand and Bukhara regions under the 'Umra+' program, it is planned to open a representative office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). It is also planned to organize a series of advertising campaigns in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and the CIS countries.
It is reported that eight hotels, theme parks, recreation and entertainment centers, a craft center and artificial pools will be built in the region.
For Samarkand to become a center for MICE tourism an international congress center and exhibition complexes with an area of 18,000 square meters will be built. After the launch of this center, 2,000 jobs will be created.
According to the ministry, 32.2 billion soums ($3 million) were allocated for the restoration and improvement of 21 cultural heritage sites, construction of tourism and adjacent infrastructure at 10 cultural heritage sites - 15.3 billion soums ($1.4 million), and 34 billion soums ($3.2 million) for improving road infrastructure at 10 sites. Some 9.6 billion soums ($911,258) will be allocated to improve water supply, sewerage and engineering-communication networks.
In addition, 978.9 billion soums ($93 million) were allocated to prepare for international conferences, including overhaul of roads (83.4 kilometers), construction of information and communication networks (41.5 kilometers), construction of 20 facilities and four new substations for reconstruction and modernization 100.3 kilometers of electrical networks, construction of drinking water supply networks (25 kilometers) and gas pipelines (14.1 kilometers).
Moreover, the investment program in 2021 provides for the reconstruction of five sports facilities for 28 billion soums ($2.6 million).
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