BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 19. Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia have signed an agreement to expand tourism cooperation, including through special travel programs for Russian trade union members and their families.
This was reflected in the statement by the National Committee of Tourism of Uzbekistan, following a meeting between Committee Deputy Chairman S. Tajiyev and a delegation from the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia.
According to the committee, the sides also discussed prospects for increasing tourist exchanges and developing joint initiatives.
''The meeting highlighted the potential of Russian trade unions, which represent workers at major enterprises and organizations, to help generate organized tourist flows to Uzbekistan,'' the National Committee of Tourism says.
The sides proposed jointly developing several tourism segments, including family and children's tourism, health and wellness tourism, medical tourism, cultural and educational tourism, ecotourism and ski tourism. Special travel programs could be created for trade union members and their families.
Particular attention was given to pilgrimage tourism, especially for residents of Russia's Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and other regions. Potential itineraries could include the historic cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, as well as Tashkent, the Center of Islamic Civilization and the Imam Bukhari complex.
The sides also identified MICE and industrial tourism as promising areas for cooperation. These could include business events in Uzbekistan and visits to modern enterprises, technology parks and industrial facilities.
''The cooperation is expected to contribute to further growth in mutual tourist flows and strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries,'' the Uzbek Tourism Committee said.
Following the meeting, the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia signed an agreement on cooperation in tourism.
The agreement provides for the development of special tour packages, direct links between trade unions and tourism organizations, familiarization trips and joint promotion of Uzbekistan's tourism opportunities in Russia.
The agreement could provide Uzbekistan with an additional channel for attracting organized groups of Russian tourists, while allowing Russian trade union members to access tailored travel programs covering leisure, health, culture and pilgrimage.
The initiative comes as Uzbekistan seeks to diversify its tourism offerings and strengthen cooperation with Russia, one of the country's key tourism markets.
