Shreya Shimpi
How important is the Indian market for Uzbekistan in terms of tourism?
India is a very important destination for us in terms of seeking and exploring more avenues of collaboration between Uzbekistan and India. Today’s Roadshow in the wonderful city of Mumbai is very important as we are with one of the leading tourism companies in India Blink Brand Solutions led by Mr. Noel Saxena and we regard India as one of the promising destinations to explore both avenues, which could not be explored before Covid. This Roadshow today is a very important segment of this initiative that we have been undertaking
by the Embassy of Republic of Uzbekistan in New Delhi and the country of Uzbekistan as a whole.
What are the new attractions that Uzbekistan has to offer to its tourists?
Right now Uzbekistan is being built anew. We call it a New Uzbekistan under the leadership of our President His Excellency Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Right now we have been building new attractions and new destinations. The cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are being rebuilt in terms of infrastructure and new attractions. You can find all kinds of tourism right now in the four seasons in Uzbekistan-winter, spring, summer and autumn.
What are the changes in the patterns of travel post-pandemic?
Covid has affected this industry as much as the other spheres and the economy around the world and Uzbekistan has been no exception. We are pleased to be in the great country of India and to promote the potential of tourism that Uzbekistan has in this vast and huge nation. Post-Covid, the trends are such that we are now increasing the number of Indian travellers who are going to Uzbekistan. This is very important to have these numbers as fast as possible because we are now moving away quickly from the post-COVID era.
Which segment of travellers does Uzbekistan receive the most, especially after the pandemic?
Now in the post-COVID period, we have seen more families as well as individual travellers in wonderful and parallel destinations like Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Uzbekistan is attracting travellers from all around the world including the great country of India. Right now the numbers are on average different but mostly there are individuals and young couples, who also are arranging their trips in terms of wedding tourism as well as the other types of tourism in Uzbekistan from India.
Could you tell us something about weddings and MICE Tourism in Uzbekistan?
We have recently spoken about wedding tourism in Uzbekistan to several travel magazines in New Delhi. Recently we have had a small delegation from India to Uzbekistan. They have underscored Tashkent, Samarkand especially the square of Registan, which can be a wonderful destination for any couples around the world, especially Indian couples. With regards to MICE Tourism, we have several modern venues for holding conferences and international seminars round the country, with the latest huge complex to have beencommissioned recently in Samarkand. Besides, on November 22 this year in the city of Paris, UNESCO adopted a very important decision to hold the 43rdsession of the General Conference first time in forty years outside of Paris, which is going to be held in 2025 in the city of Samarkand.
What is your vision for the upcoming year?
We are thinking that till the end we are expecting 50,000 travellers from India to travel to Uzbekistan and next four years we are expecting more than 1,00,000 Indian travellers who are going to be seeking Uzbekistan as their first and priority destination to go see, enjoy the country and its tourism.
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