Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, a presentation of the potential of pilgrimage tourism in Uzbekistan was held, as well as B2B meetings between tour operators of the two countries.

These events, held on behalf of the deputy Prime minister, minister of tourism and sports Aziz Abdukhakimov within the framework of the execution of the Decree of the President of our country “On measures for the further development of domestic and pilgrimage tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan” and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On additional measures for the development of domestic and pilgrimage tourism”, aroused great interest among representatives of the tourism sector of St. Petersburg.

The presentation of the pilgrimage tourism of Uzbekistan held in St. Petersburg was opened by the adviser to the minister of tourism and sports Utkir Saidov, who told the audience about the reforms and high attention paid to the development of the tourism industry in our country in recent years, and encouraged the participants to visit our country.

After that, Vladimir Derbenev, a specialist of the Russian Geographical Society and the Ministry of Culture of Russia on historical and religious tourism, spoke, noting that Uzbekistan is the most active country in recent years and occupies one of the important places for St. Petersburg in terms of cooperation. “The development of tourism between the two sides, including pilgrimage tourism, is very important, because it is an integral part of our spiritual life. Therefore, we are in favor of further strengthening cooperation and increasing flights,” V.Derbenev said. He also noted that flights from Tashkent to Moscow have been opened since April 1, and expressed hope for a further increase in air traffic between Uzbekistan and Russia.

In addition, the event noted that great importance is attached to the preservation of historical architectural monuments of Uzbekistan and the development of modern hotel infrastructure, work is underway to liberalize the visa regime, simplify the procedure for registering foreign citizens, provide benefits and preferences for the development of the country’s tourism industry.

Prospects for the development of cooperation in the field of tourism between Uzbekistan and St. Petersburg were discussed. Within the framework of the B2B meetings, tour operators of Uzbekistan and St. Petersburg agreed to develop new tourist destinations and tourist products, strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships.

In addition, in St. Petersburg, pilaf, which is considered our gastronomic heritage, was “Today we took part in a fun and wonderful event. The presentation was attended by very worthy companies, with whom we certainly want to establish cooperation. This is a great offer for the residents of St. Petersburg. We hope that these types of opportunities will take a worthy place in our programs for travel enthusiasts” - said Lilia Sorokina, head of the tourism cluster of St. Petersburg and the North-Western Federal District.

The Consul General of Uzbekistan in St. Petersburg Alisher Babayev noted the high interest of the residents of St. Petersburg in pilgrimage tourism in Uzbekistan, its culture, historical and cultural monuments, hospitality and rich history, and also noted that the tour operators of St. Petersburg are actively preparing to welcome new tourists to Uzbekistan. He also said that travel companies operating in the Northern capital of Russia plan to launch new tour packages to Uzbekistan for residents of the North-Western Federal District of the country.

The delegation that visited St. Petersburg included representatives of the ministry of tourism and sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Muslim Administration of Uzbekistan, the International Islamic Academy, and the Association of Chefs of Uzbekistan. The delegation of Uzbekistan also met with the Mufti, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of St. Petersburg and the North-Western region of Russia, Sheikh Ravil Hazrat Pancheyev.

Following the meetings, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports expresses its gratitude to the Embassy and Consulate of Uzbekistan in the Russian Federation for their assistance in organizing events.