TITF-2011: “Tourism on the Silk Road”

The Annual International Tourism Fair – TITF-2011 opened in Tashkent. This year about 600 participants from 36 countries around the world came to this fair.

The participants of the fair divided into 2 pavilions: National and International. 90 international stands presented tourism companies from Egypt, Israel, India, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, France, Switzerland and other countries, interested in the establishment of relations with the countries along the Great Silk Road. The National pavilion, in addition to Uzbekistan tour-operators and tour agents, presented hotels, sanatoriums and resorts, air and motor transport companies, museums and entertainment and resort industries.

This year the organizers of TITF: “Uzbektourism”, exhibition company TNT Expo and advertising agency “ The Great Silk Road” did their best to make the fair an outstanding tourism event of the year in Central Asia. The opening ceremony was accompanied by national Uzbek music and dances, performed on 3 scenes in pavilions and an open-air stage in front of the Uzexpocenter. At the entrance all guests and participants were welcomed with solemn music of carnai-surnai and brass band.

On the open air restaurants of the capital organized expositions with tables full of different delicious dishes of Uzbek cuisine. Visitors were awaited with creative vegetable and fruit compositions from fresh water melons, multicolored apples, beetroots, garden radishes as well as compositions from dried fruits and oriental sweets.

In the hall of the Expocenter there were stands with traditional souvenir articles: decorative dishes and statuettes from Uzbek ceramics, amazing women’s bijouterie and jewelry, made in the national style, scarves and accessories from khan-atlas and silk.

Tashkent holds the Fair “Tourism on the Silk Road” for the 17th time. Today it has become a comfortable place for establishing new business relations, organizing meetings and exchange of the experience between the representatives of international tourism sphere. The UNWTO Executive Director Zoltan Samogyi called the Tashkent Fair “a vivid example of strength and viability of tourism sector”, which is very important for international tourism, taking into account consequences of the Global Crises 2008. “Although the tourism sector has suffered from the Global Crises, experts predict its rapid recovery within the next few years, especially strong growth in tourism is expected in the countries of South-Eastern Asia” said Javier Blanco, Director of the UNWTO Affiliated Members.

The Chairman of National Company Uzbektourism Rustam Mirzaev noted that “more than million of foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan in 2011; we are expecting 30 % increase of the tourist flow in 2012”. According to his speech “this year the TITF dates concur with the Mega-info-tour, organized by “Uzbektourism” National Company for hundreds of foreign journalists from 31 countries, during which its participants will get acquainted with Uzbekistan tourism potential, its cultural heritage, customs and traditions”.

Not many people know that unique historical monuments, registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List and situated in Samarkand, Bukhara, Shakhrisabz and Khiva, are only “a drop in the sea” of more than 4 thousand historical objects of Uzbekistan. Moreover, Kizilkum and Karakum deserts are the ideal places for trekking and horseback tours; Western Tien-Shan Mountains have all facilities for alpinism and skiing; national reserves and resorts every year attract thousands tourists, coming here within cultural and active tours to Uzbekistan.

The exhibition also presented the tourism potential of Zaamin, the area of grand juniper forests, which do not have analogies in Central Asia and registered in the number of nominates of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Zaamin recreational resources and its historical places were presented to the potential investors within the UNDP project, aimed to improve the prosperity of the residents of that region by involving them in the development of tourism in Zaamin.

On the first day of the Fair participants and guests of TITF became the witnesses of an important event: signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between “Uzbektourism” National Company and Secretary of State for Trade, Crafts, Small and medium Enterprises, Tourism, Services and Consumer of French Republic. This document will contribute to the growth of the tourist flow to both destinations and strengthening of cooperation of both countries. And this is just the beginning. Presence of key tour organizations and interesting business program of the Fair gives a fair reason to hope that it will be successful for many participants.