Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of Uzbekistan headed by the khokim of Bukhara region Botir Zaripov took part in the Third World Conference of Islamic Tourism, held in the capital of Malaysia.

The World Islamic Tourism Conference has been held in Kuala Lumpur since 2017 every two years and is considered the largest specialized event in the world.

During the conference, a detailed presentation of the rich spiritual, cultural, architectural heritage of Uzbekistan and ziyorat tourism to our country, including the city of Bukhara, was organized.

The event was attended by more than 500 representatives of official circles, the diplomatic corps, leading Malaysian players in the field of tourism, hospitality and the halal industry.

The Uzbek delegation provided information on the comprehensive measures taken in our country to develop ziyorat tourism. In particular, it was emphasized that over the past five years Uzbekistan has introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of most countries of the world, modernized the infrastructure of airports and railway transport, improved the currency and banking system, built many places to accommodate foreign guests, and created all conditions for the comfort of tourists, including pilgrims.

It was noted that on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the Great Silk Road International Tourist Center was established in Samarkand, which includes 8 modern hotels, the Eternal City ethnographic complex, a congress hall, an amphitheater and many other facilities. Thanks to these large-scale projects, Samarkand is becoming the tourist gateway of New Uzbekistan.

Also presented were the possibilities of the new international airport of Samarkand, capable of serving up to 2 million tourists a year, where the "Open Sky" mode was introduced.

The special national stand of Uzbekistan at the exhibition was visited by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia Nancy Shukri. The guests of the pavilion got acquainted with the tour packages, the exposition of handicrafts and folk arts and crafts of our country. A number of B2B meetings were held between tour operators of the two countries.

With the assistance of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Malaysia, the signing of two memorandums of cooperation was ensured.

Thus, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Khokimiyat of Bukhara region and the Malaysian Association of Travel Companies and Tour Operators (MATTA). From the Malaysian side, the document was signed by MATTA President Tan Kok Liang. The memorandum envisages cooperation to enhance ties between tour operators of Bukhara region and Malaysia, participation in tourism exhibitions, fairs, symposiums, conferences and other events organized by the parties, exchange of information and materials on tourism and investment potential.

In addition, the Malaysian side expressed its readiness for the joint promotion of tourist destinations and packages of Uzbekistan. The possibilities of promoting Umrah+ packages were discussed in detail.

In the course of negotiations with the leadership of MATTA, the Uzbek side was invited to take part in the next largest Malaysian outbound tourism fair "MATTA Fair", which will be held in March 2023 in Kuala Lumpur.

Agreements were reached on the development and diversification by travel companies of the two countries of the tour packages "Ziyorat-tourism", "Cultural tourism", "Ethno-tourism", "Winter tourism", "Umrah +", "Business tourism" (MICE), as well as the organization of familiarization " info-tours” to Uzbekistan for Malaysian travel companies.

A Memorandum of Cooperation was also signed between the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage for the Bukhara region and the Malaysian film company Zeel Production, Dunyo news agency reported.

Zeel Production was founded in 1995 and is one of the leading companies in Malaysia for the production of feature films, documentaries and series. The main customer of the products is the State Television and Radio Company of Malaysia. The company has implemented more than a hundred joint film projects with Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, UAE, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Great Britain, Hungary and Austria.

During the meeting with the management of Zeel Production, the prospects for joint cooperation were discussed, in particular, mechanisms and further plans for organizing the filming of episodes of feature films in Bukhara and other historical cities, organizing a trip for the film crew and cast to Uzbekistan based on partial coverage of expenses from the Uzbek sides.