Today, within the framework of the 25th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Global Investment Forum began its work in the Expo centre of the Silk Road Samarkand tourist complex.
It is worth saying that Samarkand is one of the most famous historical cities of Uzbekistan, it was here that the caravans of the Great Silk Road passed. This is a city that is the centre of the scientific and cultural life of the East.
The Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov, and UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili opened the Global Investment Forum with a welcoming speech.
During the Investment Forum, Zurab Pololikashvili presented Aziz Abdukhakimov with a special guide on investing in the tourism industry of Uzbekistan “Tourism doing business. Investing in Uzbekistan”.
The Investment Forum will feature 5 panel sessions and 22 presentations with the participation of ministers and heads of international financial institutions. In addition, an address list of promising projects with a total value of $ 2 billion will be formed and presented to investors.
The Investment Forum will provide a platform for more than 1,200 representatives of the tourism industry. Among them are potential investors, creators, and team members of innovative start ups. Based on its results, it is planned to sign a number of memorandums, agreements and contracts, including regarding investment projects.
In general, 14 regions of Uzbekistan, three tourist and recreational zones (Zaamin, Charvak, Chimen), Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan presented their tourism and investment potential on an area of 4,200 sq.m., stands of four startup projects from Japan, the Czech Republic, France and Brazil were also presented, as well There are also stands of the Tourism Committee, Uzbekistan Temir Yullari JSC, Uzbekistan Airports JSC and Uzbekistan Helicopters LLC.
Attracting investments that will contribute to the economic growth of the participating countries is the main task of the forum. Preserving the rich cultural heritage and natural resources, Uzbekistan intends to increase the interest of major global investors on this global platform, in order to further increase the investment potential,” President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the opening of the Global Investment Forum.
The leaders of the tourism industry, investors and all interested parties, which united the forum, gathered to explore opportunities in the tourism sector and form a legal framework to attract foreign investment, since in modern conditions the role of the tourism industry is great not only in the economies of developed countries, but also in the economies of developing countries.
The Global Investment Forum is organized within the framework of the 25th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is being held in Uzbekistan for the first time. The event opens up new opportunities to increase the prestige of the participating countries in the international arena, as well as further expand the scope of cooperation with international organizations and promote the cultural and tourism potential of the country.
About Author
Dr. Beruniy S. Alimov is a Director of the New Media Education Center, a recently established (2021) NGO in Uzbekistan. He graduated from the Journalism Department at the National University of Uzbekistan (1995) and the News Agency Journalism course at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (1994).
In 1996 Dr. Alimov joined the News Agency “Jahon” as an international correspondent in London (1996-1997), Tokyo (2001-2005), and Moscow (2009-2011). He worked as a Press Secretary to the minister of Foreign Economic Relations (1998-2000), to the President of Uzbekistan (2008-2009), and to the director of the Press and Information Agency (2011-2012). Later he joined Webster University in Tashkent as an Adjunct professor (2020-2021) and since 2012 he works as an Assistant professor at the International Journalism department of the Uzbek State World Languages University.
Received scientific degrees, PhD (2018) and DSc (2021), with dissertations on the “Problems of Uzbekistan’s image in the International media”. He runs a blog, beruniyalimov.uz, and is active on Facebook with five thousand friends. He is also a Head of the Media Research Institute at the Uzbek State World Languages University (2022-present).
