The event, which also showcased Uzbek cuisine, brought together tourism professionals from the Uzbekistan delegation with industry experts. Attended by Uzbekistan's Consul General in Istanbul, Sherzod Abdunazarov, the event contributed to strengthening tourism relations between Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
The Uzbekistan Destination Promotion Event took place on Wednesday, July 24, at the TÜRSAB headquarters. The event saw participation from TÜRSAB Vice President Davut Günaydın, TÜRSAB Board Members Talip Aldemir and Erol Türk, Uzbekistan's Consul General in Istanbul Sherzod Abdunazarov, Uzbekistan Tourism Office Marketing Director Aziz Mirdjalilov, Rocket DMC International CEO Roula Jouny, Rocket DMC General Manager Nigina Mukhtarova, and Air Samarkand Marketing Director Oleg Ivanov. Participants were welcomed with traditional Uzbek music and dances.
Number of tourists from Uzbekistan to Türkiye reaches 470,000
In his opening speech, TÜRSAB Vice President Davut Günaydın emphasized the historical and cultural ties between Türkiye and Uzbekistan. Günaydın stated, "The commercial relations between Türkiye and Uzbekistan, two countries connected by thousands of years of cultural ties, are strengthening day by day. Our trade volume is approaching 3 billion dollars, and our extensive cooperation is deepening with high-level contacts. What truly makes us happy is the increasing cultural closeness between our two countries, which is significantly driven by tourism.
Davut Günaydın highlighted the growing interest of Turkish citizens in Uzbekistan's cultural and spiritual heritage and expressed their efforts to encourage more citizens to visit Uzbekistan. "Uzbekistan is a beautiful country; I have seen it myself, and I want many of our citizens to visit it. In 2023, the number of our citizens traveling abroad reached 12 million. Therefore, our travel agencies need alternative routes, and among these alternatives, Uzbekistan is undoubtedly the most suitable country for Turkish people. We will work together on this. The number of visitors from Uzbekistan to our country reached 470,000 last year, while the number of visitors from Türkiye to Uzbekistan exceeded 100,000. Considering the populations of both countries, there is a significant opportunity to increase these numbers," he said.
Günaydın mentioned that he had discussed with Consul General Sherzod Abdunazarov the development of tourism relations between Türkiye and Uzbekistan and agreed on organizing an info trip to Uzbekistan.
Travel agencies needed to turn tourism richness into tourism products
Günaydın noted the importance of travel agencies and tour operators in transforming tourism assets into tourism products. "The contribution of travel agencies and tour operators to the development of tourism through organized tours is an undeniable fact. From this perspective, we highly value the efforts to institutionalize the growing interest of our citizens in Uzbekistan through tourism professionals from both countries. We thank the Uzbekistan Consulate General in Istanbul for organizing this wonderful event, which brings together Uzbekistan's tourism values with our travel agencies," he said.
"Konya is as valuable to us as Bukhara"
Uzbekistan's Consul General in Istanbul, Sherzod Abdunazarov, emphasized that Uzbekistan-Türkiye relations are currently at their peak. "Actually, the ties between our brotherly peoples go back much further. Therefore, we do not limit our relations to the recent momentum but consider them to span many centuries. We always remember with pride our interactions during the Göktürk, Karakhanid, and Seljuk periods. We evaluate our relations with Türkiye based on brotherhood. For us, Konya is as valuable as Bukhara. We appreciate Bursa as much as we do Khiva. We love Ankara as much as Tashkent, and we value Istanbul as we do Samarkand," he said.
The event, also attended by Uzbekistan Tourism Office Marketing Director Aziz Mirdjalilov and Rocket DMC International CEO Roula Jouny, featured presentations on Uzbekistan's cultural and touristic values. Presentations by Air Samarkand Marketing and PR Director Oleg Ivanov received great interest from the participants.