JAKARTA, June 26. /Dunyo IA/.     Indonesian capital has hosted the international tourism exhibition “Umrah Plus Uzbekistan International Travel Market Exhibition 2026”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Exhibition was attended by representatives of the tourism industry, prominent tour operators, hotel chains, and airlines from Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

Opening ceremony was attended by the Vice Minister of Trade of Indonesia Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture Endah Tjahjani Dwirini Retno Astuti as well as representatives from the embassies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman.

Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri noted that during her recent visit to Uzbekistan, she visited the Mausoleum of Imam al-Bukhari and the Center of Islamic Civilization, where she familiarized herself with the country's rich spiritual heritage. According to her, “Umrah Plus Uzbekistan” concept is a promising initiative that will allow Indonesian pilgrims to combine their visits to holy places with an introduction to the most vital centers of the Islamic world.

Chairman of the “ASPURINDO” Tourism Association Muhammad Iqbal Muhajir, also emphasized that Uzbekistan occupies a special place among the countries of interest to Indonesians and local tour operators are keen on expanding cooperation.

Within the framework of the exhibition, a dedicated national pavilion was organized, highlighting the opportunities of pilgrimage tourism in Uzbekistan and its historic cities. Tourism Committee and domestic tourism companies presented ready-made travel packages to foreign partners.

Following the negotiations with prominent Indonesian tour operators, including “ASTAGATRA”, “ASPURINDO” and “SAPURA Wisata”, preliminary agreements have been reached.

In particular, the parties agreed to explore opportunities for expanding regular air services on the Jakarta–Tashkent route. It is anticipated that starting from November–December of the current year, within the framework of the “Umrah Plus Uzbekistan” program, each association will be able to route up to 1,500 Indonesian pilgrims monthly through Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia, totaling approximately 3,000 pilgrims per month.