BERLIN, March 10. /Dunyo IA/.  One of the world’s largest tourism exhibitions, “ITB Berlin 2026” International Tourism Fair, took place in the German capital, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

“ITB Berlin” International Tourism Fair, recognized as a leading event in the global tourism industry, has been held since 1966. The total number of participants exceeds 170,000. The fair also hosts the representative international congress “ITB Berlin”, attended by around 24,000 industry specialists.

The 2026 edition of the event, marking the 60th anniversary of “ITB Berlin”, took place at the “Berlin Messe” exhibition center in Berlin. It brought together 5,800 major companies and firms from 170 countries specializing in tourism, gastronomy, logistics and tourism technologies, as well as international experts.

Uzbekistan was represented by a delegation of Uzbek tourism companies, led by Abdulaziz Akkulov, Chairman of the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee.

With the support of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany, the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee organized a national Uzbekistan pavilion covering over 200 square meters, showcasing more than 20 tourism companies, hotels, and airlines. Among the participants were “Hilton”, “Uzbekistan Airways”, “Centrum Air”, “Qanot Sharq”, “Orient Star”, “Travel Factory”, “People Travel”, “International Caravan Travel Service”, “Antique Travel”, “Sezam Travel”, “Creative Tours”, “Onent MICE”, “Asialuxe”, “Assalam Travel”, “Arda Khiva” and other firms, presenting the country’s tourism potential.

The national pavilion featured videos highlighting Uzbekistan’s tourist opportunities, photo exhibitions and distributed informational materials showcasing the country’s gastronomic and other tourism offerings.

During the fair, representatives of the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee informed Berlin residents, city visitors and international tourism companies visiting the Uzbekistan national pavilion about the country’s tourism potential, the conditions created for local and foreign tourists and travel companies, development of tourism infrastructure and the reforms implemented in recent years in this sector.

In addition, Tourism Committee delegation, accompanied by the Dilshod Akhatov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan, held a series of meetings with leading international industry companies. Notably, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, who visited the Uzbek pavilion, highly praised Uzbekistan’s initiative to declare 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism and expressed particular interest in the development of the country’s tourism sector.

In addition, meetings were held with a number of leading industry representatives, including the management of “TUI Group”, Germany and Europe’s largest tourism holding, tourism companies “DRV, Trip.com” and “Expedia Group”, German hotel chains “Private Palace Hotels & Resorts” and “Titanic Hotels Group”, the International Management Institute (IMI) in Lucerne, Switzerland, as well as the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

During the negotiations, agreements were reached on selling Uzbekistan’s national tourism products through online platforms, creating dedicated campaigns and pages for new markets, including historical complexes in global maps, attracting major international events to the country, constructing luxury hotels in historic cities and placing them under the management of international brands. The parties also discussed implementing international educational standards in tourism and enhancing the professional skills of specialists.

Managing Director of “Private Palace Hotels & Resorts”, Gino Leonhard, shared his impressions of visiting the Uzbekistan pavilion with Dunyo Information Agency:

- At the “ITB Berlin 2026” International Fair, we had a very warm and friendly conversation with the Chairman of the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee and the Ambassador of your country to Germany. During the discussion, we exchanged views on potential joint projects that could be implemented in Uzbekistan in the future.

“Private Palace Hotels & Resorts” has shown interest in cooperating with Uzbekistan for many years. Following this meeting, our confidence in the possibility of launching the first projects in the near future has significantly increased and we look forward to their realization. During the negotiations, new opportunities were discussed in well-known historical cities and regions such as Samarkand, Tashkent and Bukhara.

I am confident that, as “Private Palace Hotels & Resorts”, we will be able to contribute to the development of four- and five-star hotels in Uzbekistan.

Our core specialization is the integration of high-end “Spa & Medical Wellness” services in all our projects, which ensures high occupancy rates throughout the year. The Chairman of the Tourism Committee also noted that there is demand for such services in Uzbekistan and that they could become part of the country’s new tourism strategy. We would be very pleased to contribute to this process.

Personally, I have already visited Uzbekistan twice. I am very fond of this country - not only because of its location on the Great Silk Road, but also due to its rich cultural heritage, fascinating history and, of course, outstanding cuisine. I hope that in the near future we will be able to begin our cooperation.

The representative and brand ambassador of “Titanic Hotels Group” in Berlin, Hikmet Güvenc, noted:

- First of all, I sincerely thank you for the invitation to visit the Uzbekistan national pavilion at the “ITB Berlin” exhibition. I had the opportunity to speak with representatives of the Uzbekistan delegation.

Uzbekistan is demonstrating very rapid economic growth, which presents numerous opportunities for cooperation. For example, I work in the hotel industry and serve as the brand ambassador for “Titanic Hotels Group”. If there is mutual interest, in the future we could consider the possibility of establishing our hotel network in Uzbekistan.

During the meeting with the Chairman of the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee, we exchanged views on potential collaboration opportunities both in Uzbekistan and in Germany.

Your country, as one of the centers of the rich cultural heritage of the Great Silk Road, has significant potential for tourism development. I sincerely wish Uzbekistan success in this area. The future of the tourism sector in the region looks very promising. Your country is actively investing in tourism, and economic interest from developed nations is also increasing.

In my view, Uzbekistan is set to become one of the most attractive and interesting tourist destinations in the near future.