Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Sukhrоbjon Bobokalonov, deputy chairman of Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee, met with Gérard Wolf, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ special representative for sustainable cities and transport, to discuss expanding cooperation in tourism, including mountain tourism, the committee reported.
The meeting was also attended by Walid Fouque, France’s ambassador to Uzbekistan.
The participants discussed ways to make more effective use of the tourism potential of cultural heritage sites, develop tourism infrastructure and train qualified professionals for the sector.
The Uzbek side outlined reforms in the tourism industry, measures to increase the number of foreign visitors and initiatives to unlock the tourism potential of the country’s regions.
Wolf highlighted opportunities for bilateral cooperation and proposed studying France’s experience in increasing tourism’s contribution to the economy, enhancing the appeal of cultural heritage sites and training specialists for tourism and hospitality.
B. Andrieu, chief executive of architectural firm Wilmotte & Associés Architectes, expressed interest in developing educational programmes in tourism and hospitality and improving Uzbekistan’s tourism infrastructure. The company is already in talks with Uzbekistan on urban planning.
Mountain tourism was another focus of the meeting. Participants were briefed on the work of French company MND under the Chimgan Tourist Zone project. They also discussed plans for the next stage, which envisages implementing the Uzbek-Courchevel project in cooperation with POMA.
The meeting concluded with an exchange of views on diversifying tourism services, enhancing the potential of cultural heritage sites, training industry professionals and expanding cooperation in tourism infrastructure and architecture.
