KUALA LUMPUR, April 6. /Dunyo IA/. One of the region's largest tourism exhibitions, “MATTA Fair”, was held in Kuala Lumpur, with a delegation from Uzbekistan in attendance, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The official opening ceremony of the exhibition, held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), was attended by a delegation from the Samarkand region led by Khokim Adiz Boboyev.

Among the guests and participants were representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, “Tourism Malaysia” agency, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), as well as travel companies, diplomatic corps and media.

Uzbekistan presented a national pavilion at the exhibition, organized by the Tourism Committee and domestic travel companies. The main goal of participation was to promote the country's tourism potential and its rich cultural heritage in the Malaysian market.

During the event, representatives of the Samarkand region met with the leadership of MATTA and the Commercial Director of “Malaysia Aviation Group”, Dersenish Aresandiran.

The parties discussed the prospects of launching direct flights between Samarkand and Malaysia, which is expected to facilitate an increase in tourist flow.

The Malaysian side was provided with information regarding the large-scale reforms in Uzbekistan's tourism sector, as well as key sites such as the Imam Bukhari complex in Samarkand and the Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent.

Special attention at the exhibition was paid to promoting various types of tourism, including cultural, pilgrimage, and gastronomic. Travel companies from Uzbekistan presented diverse tour packages covering Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent.

Following the event, specific agreements were reached to develop direct cooperation between the tour operators of the two countries, aimed at increasing the flow of foreign tourists to Uzbekistan.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the country's gastronomic potential: for the first time at the exhibition, Samarkand plov was prepared and served to the participants and guests.