Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- From 31 May to 2 June 2022, Singapore hosted the Halal In Travel - Global Summit 2022, dedicated to the restoration and development of the Muslim tourism market. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov spoke at the event in an online format.

“As a result of the special attention paid by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the tourism segment, especially pilgrimage tourism, Uzbekistan has confidently taken its place in the global Muslim tourism market. Being a young developing tourist destination, Uzbekistan has a lot to offer both adventure seekers and knowledge hunters,” A. Abdukhakimov noted.

As part of the global summit "Halal in Travel Awards", the city of Samarkand became the winner of the "Islamic Heritage Destination of the year" award and the "Top Muslim-Friendly emerging festination of the year").

Uzbekistan entered the top ten in the World Muslim Travel Index, which is published annually by CrescentRating.

More than forty criteria are taken into account in developing this ranking, including the country’s policy of openness to tourists, opportunities created for Muslim tourists, promotion and marketing, and the level of provision of Islamic heritage to tourists.

The head of the CrescentRating organization, Fazal Bahardin, highlighted this year’s performance and recognized Uzbekistan as the country that rises the fastest in the ranking and is an example for others.

This summit brought together more than 70 industry professionals from around the world with expertise in the tourism industry.

For information, in Uzbekistan, since 1 January 2022, 35 restaurants (fast food chains) and 4 hotels have received a Halal rating and certificate.