BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18
By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:
Tourism in Turkmenistan has been developing rapidly in recent years, as the country is constantly working to improve conditions for further expansion of this sector, Trend reports.
For example, certificates of services conformity were issued for 294 tourist destinations, trips to 105 historical monuments were organized in 2018. In addition, the certified tourist routes were supplemented with excursions to historical and cultural attractions and holy places, as well as new routes were developed.
A visa is required to enter Turkmenistan, but according to the new order, employees of the UN, specialized structures of this international organization, as well as family members of the relevant citizens are exempt from visa processing during the period of work in the country.
According to a report provided to Trend by UN World Tourism Organization (UNTO), the visa-free regime can significantly contribute to the further development of the tourism industry in Turkmenistan.
“As you may know, many tourists require a visa to enter the country. This is in contrast to Uzbekistan – the neighbor of Turkmenistan – which has revised its visa policy in the last three years. Offering visa-free tourism to citizens of more than 80 nations has led to a notable rise in the number of people visiting Uzbekistan,” the UNWTO told Trend.
Also, investing in tourism transport infrastructure would help the sector’s development in Turkmenistan, the UNWTO said.
The organization said that since Turkmenistan is situated on the Silk Road, tourism can help protect and promote the unique culture found along this stretch of the historic route, which will translate into jobs and opportunities.
“Growing tourism in a responsible and sustainable manner will deliver many benefits across Turkmenistan. Above all, it will create jobs and opportunities, most notably in rural communities, and help drive economic growth,” said UNWTO, adding that Turkmenistan is a country with significant tourism potential.
“It has both world-famous cultural sites such as Konye-Urgench – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and sea resorts such as Awaza, both of which can be marketed to international tourists,” concluded the message.
Recently, the Ashgabat city - the capital of Turkmenistan - became a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Design category. The application will be reviewed by independent experts in the next few months. The final decision will be announced on the eve of the celebration of World Cities Day, which is celebrated on October 31.
Turkmenistan is studying the possibility of nominating its candidacy to a number of structures of UNESCO. Also, with the participation of UNESCO, as well as the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFATG), training courses for tour guides were held in 2018.
Among the tourists showing the most interest in visiting Turkmenistan are those from Germany, Iran, the US, Australia, the UK, Belgium, France, Italy. From the Turkmen side, there's plenty to offer to the foreigners.
In order to increase the number of foreign tourists, new tourist routes are being opened, and measures are being taken to improve the quality of provided services.
Turkmenistan has been awarded several entries in the Guinness World Records. In particular, the country was first noted there for the world's largest handmade carpet with an area of 301 square meters, the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, is recognized as the most white marble city in the world and others.
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