Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A meeting of the leadership of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on tourism development with representatives of the country’s tourism business within the framework of the APTA Networking Club 2020 project was held at the Hilton-Tashkent Hotel.

The meeting was held in an informal atmosphere and touched upon pressing issues that prevent the attraction of a larger volume of tourists, as well as problems that arise in the work of tour operators, owners of hotels and guest houses.

During the meeting, travel companies voiced their proposals to improve the situation in the tourism market, in particular, to increase the number of foreign tourists to Uzbekistan and improve the quality of their services.

During the speeches, it was noted that significant measures were being taken in Uzbekistan to increase the flow of tourists to the republic and its recognition in the world. These include the establishment of a visa-free regime with 86 countries since the beginning of 2020, the expansion of flights by introducing an "open skies" at the largest international airports of the republic, the establishment of friendly relations with neighboring countries, and the introduction of budgetary domestic flights.

It was emphasized that drastic measures are being taken by the state to improve the tourism infrastructure of the republic, which can be seen in the introduction of benefits and subsidies for hotel owners, and the improvement of infrastructure in new tourist centers throughout the country.

In 2019, the Association of Private Tourism Organizations of Uzbekistan together with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development launched the APTA Networking Club project with the participation of representatives of the tourism business.

“APTA Networking Club” is an open discussion platform for representatives of the tourism industry of Uzbekistan, designed to bring together representatives of the hotel business, travel companies to solve pressing problems and problems arising from their activities.

Following the meeting, based on the issues raised during the event, relevant recommendations and suggestions were prepared that will play an important role in solving the problems associated with attracting and serving more tourists to Uzbekistan.