International conference on the development of sustainable tourism in the Republic of Karakalpakstan

10 April 2017

The International conference on the development of sustainable tourism in the Republic of Karakalpakstan will be organized in Nukus on 10 April 2017. The Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, UNESCO, UNWTO, OSCE (TBC), WB (TBC), NGO KRASS and Michael Succow Foundation, State Committee of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development and the State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Culture and Sports of Uzbekistan, Embassies of Latvia and France (TBC) will contribute to the conference.

The organization of the meeting is proposed due to development of the Action Strategy for the five priority areas of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021 years. In the document, tourism is presented as one of the priority areas of development and economic liberalization.

UNESCO, working in the framework of the UN Joint Programme “Building the Resilience of Communities Affected by the Aral Sea Disaster through a Multi-partner Human Security Fund for the Aral Sea”, contributes to promote sustainable livelihoods of local communities notably through the promotion of the Karakalpakstan’s cultural and natural heritage.

The planned meeting aims to raise awareness of the diversity of the heritage of the region so as to enlarge the scope of heritage tourism to include alternative sites of interest. Another area of focus of the meeting would be to address some of the challenges arising from the current legislation that may hinder tourism development in the region.

The meeting will bring together the Senate, local authorities, representatives from the State Committee for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan, the State Committee for Nature Protection, Ministry of Culture and Sport (Board of Monument/Inspection), NGO KRASS, cultural institutions (such as museums), tour operators (both from Tashkent and Karakalpakstan).

As the outcome of the meeting, the participants will formulate recommendations in three areas:
• Strengthening the legal framework for tourism development
• Developing branding for the Republic of Karakalpakstan
• Identifying new community-based sustainable tourism products on the basis of the cultural and natural heritage of Karakalpakstan

When, local time: Monday, 10 April 2017 - 10:00am to 6:00pm

Where: Uzbekistan, Nukus

Type of Event: Category 8-Symposium

Contact: m.makhmudova@unesco.org