BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Uzbekistan and Georgia discussed ways to expand tourism cooperation and increase tourist flows between the two countries during a B2B meeting that brought together tour operators and tourism companies from both markets.
This was reflected in the statement by the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan.
The meeting was attended by S. Bobokalonov, Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee, Natalie Kvachantiradze, Chairwoman of the Georgian Tourism Association, 10 Georgian tour operators visiting Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of Uzbek tourism companies and tour operators.
During the meeting, Uzbek side presented the country’s tourism potential, existing travel products and emerging destinations. Particular attention was given to promoting historical and cultural tours covering Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent in the Georgian market.
Participants also discussed opportunities to promote Great Silk Road routes, gastronomic tourism, ecotourism, pilgrimage tourism and other specialized travel products.
Tour operators from Uzbekistan and Georgia exchanged views on developing joint tourism packages, creating new itineraries and increasing two-way tourist flows. The discussions also focused on strengthening the promotion of tourism products in both countries’ markets.
The meeting followed agreements reached in July between Uzbekistan Tourism Committee Chairman A. Akkulov and Kvachantiradze, together with representatives of leading Georgian tourism companies. Those talks resulted in plans for reciprocal familiarization trips for tour operators, as well as seminars and workshops.
The latest B2B meeting provided a practical platform for implementing those agreements and establishing direct business contacts between private-sector representatives.
The next major step will come on August 17, when the first Uzbek-Georgian Business Forum on Tourism will be held at the Hilton Samarkand Regency Hotel in Samarkand.
The forum is expected to further connect tourism businesses from the two countries and create opportunities for new partnerships, tourism products and joint projects.
