NEW YORK, March 8. /"Dunyo" IA/. Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili gave an exclusive interview to "Dunyo" IA on the occasion of the unanimous adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution initiated by Uzbekistan declaring 2027 the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism.

– What do you consider to be the three main factors in the recognition of this initiative of Uzbekistan globally? What is the global significance of this Uzbekistan's initiative? And how important is this initiative for Uzbekistan?

– The International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism in 2027 will provide a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform our world into a place of prosperity, lasting peace, and wellbeing for all. Uzbekistan’s sponsorship of the Resolution shows a strong commitment for a tourism sector which is both sustainable and resilient. This is a major step towards celebrating and promoting the contribution of the tourism sector and its immense potential in terms of economic prosperity, social inclusion, peace, and cultural and biodiversity preservation and environmental preservation.

The International Year 2027 also recognizes the vital need for resilience and elevates further what was recognized globally through the UN General Assembly Resolution 77/178 titled "Promotion of sustainable and resilient tourism, including ecotourism, for poverty eradication and environment protection" adopted in December 2022. This was based on the report prepared by UN Tourism, which places for the first-time resilience in the forefront, including in the title of the new resolution, particularly timely after the unprecedented challenges brought by the pandemic, for a sector which is the lifeline for a million of people over the world.

The role of tourism in national development strategies and in the global development agenda has been growing. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year for Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027 provides a pathway for the global community at large to adopt sustainable and resilient tourism practices and strategies and maximize their commitment and action to meet the global development agenda.

– We would also like to know your opinion about the tourism potential of Uzbekistan. By 2030, Uzbekistan plans to serve 15 million foreign tourists. Can the country achieve these goals and what else do you think to needs to do to improve it?

– I believe that Uzbekistan has an enormous potential in tourism and I am encouraged to see how the Government under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has been carrying out numerous and various reforms to develop the sector at the highest speed possible. Today, everyone is well aware about the cultural and natural heritage of Uzbekistan, but more and more people are also learning about the amazing national cuisine of Uzbek people, their unique traditions and customs as well as the warmth of their hospitality.

Given the excellent results of recent years, the 15 million target is certainly achievable. In 2012 the number of international visitors was 1.9 million, only to reach 6.7 million pre-pandemic. The country has also showed excellent recovery from the crisis. Uzbekistan jumped from the 49th most visited in the world in 2019 to 39th in 2022 as it bounced back from the pandemic. In 2023, data for the first half of the year showed a full recovery and return to pre-pandemic levels in terms of visitors and most important tourism receipts has outpaced 2019 levels by over 30% by September 2023. Uzbekistan is also making significant progress facilitating international travel to the country, which will be reflected in the data going forward.

I am aware of the ambitious plans of the Government to further advance tourism and to make it a true driver of the national economy. I wish to commend those efforts and state that UN Tourism stays ready to assist Uzbekistan in these endeavors. Furthermore, I firmly believe that the country will achieve and exceed the goals, including the tourism infrastructure development, support to local communities and economies, advancing tourism education and becoming an acknowledged regional leader in this area.

– How popular do you think the tourism brand of Uzbekistan has become in the last 6 years?

– It is no secret that Uzbekistan is being widely acknowledged as an emerging star among tourism destinations, ready to welcome a new global market for a unique tourism product based on its rich and unseen cultural and historical heritage.

And the best proof to this is the number of the international tourists visiting Uzbekistan: for example, in 2016 the country was visited by two million international tourists, and in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, this number reached 6.7 million visitors and in 2023 this figure was 5.2 million. I expect this year’s figures will exceed the result of 2019.

I wish also to stress the good will of the country whose government introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of almost a 100 nations in last 5-6 years. As such, the attractiveness of Uzbekistan has grown in terms of many competitive factors namely branding but also a strong possibility of visa facilitation, infrastructure development or attraction of international events. Recently Forbes also named Uzbekistan on a list of where To Travel and Avoid The Crowds In 2024.

– The President of Uzbekistan put forward important initiatives at the Samarkand session of UNWTO. How will these initiatives contribute to the development of tourism?

– It is a pleasure for me to share with you that UN Tourism is currently working closely with the tourism authorities of Uzbekistan to implement the initiatives of the President. Among them, I would like to underline the launching of a Silk Road Award, advancement of green and accessible tourism and many others. I have to mention that the recently adopted UNGA resolution on the announcement of 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism is a part of the global initiatives voiced by him at 25th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly hosted last year in Samarkand.

The global initiatives that he put forward have a significant importance for the global tourism since they embrace not only advancement of different kinds of tourism, but aim at fostering development at large, starting from education to support of local communities. Their Implementation will allow us to fairly distribute the benefits that tourism brings among all stakeholders, leaving no one behind. Moreover, this will also lead to make tourism a lifeline for many, thus, contributing to both economies and mutual understanding and enrichment for the good of humankind.

– Thank you for the interview and your personal warm attitude towards Uzbekistan.

– Thank you.