An international conference was held in Ashgabat

On March 27, 2024, the International Conference «Main directions and potential for tourism development in Turkmenistan» was held at the «Ýyldyz» hotel.

The forum is attended by the representatives of international organizations, managers and experts of leading Turkmen and foreign companies specializing in the relevant field, including Turkey, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, China, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Korea, and also Sri Lanka.

Turkmenistan aims to strengthen international cooperation in the field of tourism, as evidenced by successful contacts in this area with different countries. In addition, the Turkmen state actively presents its capabilities at international forums. In this regard, the launch ceremony of events on declaring indicative the city of Anau as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic world in 2024, held the day before in the « Türkmeniň ak öýi» building in the Ak Bugday etrap of Ahal velayat,.

Current directions of the state strategy for the development of tourism complex of Turkmenistan are expanding the geography and diversity of tourist routes, improving the quality of services provided, training qualified specialists for this industry, establishing effective information and advertising activities and successful international relations.

Reviewing the measures taken to include unique corners of nature, places of interest in Turkmenistan on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the development of hotel and recreational infrastructure.

Participants noted that the ongoing large-scale reforms for the consistent development and improvement of tourism infrastructure are yielding good results. The number of modern hotels is increasing, the «Avaza» resort, the city of Ashgabat, included in the list of the Federation of Tourist Cities of the World, and the city of Arkadag, which amazes with the beauty of its buildings, have gained great popularity. Ecological, health-improving, folklore-ethnographic, historical-architectural, cultural-educational, business, sports and other types of tourism are widely developed in the country.

As it was emphasized, the wealth and diversity of nature, centuries-old traditions of handicraft, friendliness and hospitality of the Turkmen people, national Turkmen cuisine - all this complements and enriches the tourism potential of Turkmenistan.

Foreign guests stated that currently more and more attention is being paid to improving educational programs and initiatives adapted to changing needs of the tourism industry. This includes developing specialized curricula, integrating technology into teaching methods, and promoting experiential learning opportunities.

It was also noted that there is a tendency towards collaboration between academic institutions, industry stakeholders and government agencies to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of tourism education initiatives.

In this context, it was emphasized that cultural understanding, economic sustainability and social responsibility are intertwined in tourism education, which goes beyond the usual boundaries of teaching. By teaching people the intricacies of tourism, they can be given the chance to make a meaningful contribution to the growth of the sector, opening up new prospects for economic prosperity and promoting intercultural understanding, conference participants noted.

It was stated that tourism not only benefits from peace and stability, like most of other sectors, but also preserves and promotes cultural identity and heritage. Accordingly, tourism professionals act as cultural mediators, playing a key role in bridging cultural differences.

Focusing on the broad prospects for long-term cooperation in this segment, the speakers emphasized that currently, taking into account the conditions created for the development of this area, it is necessary to promote the tourism opportunities of Turkmenistan abroad. They also talked about the practical implementation of the joint program “One tour - the whole region”, which will cover the entire range of tourism products.

Thus, the current International Conference “Main directions and potential for tourism development in Turkmenistan” is intended to present the achievements of our state in the tourism sector, modern developments of leading specialized companies, and to contribute to the expansion of partnerships.

On the sidelines of the forum, were held working meetings and were signed relevant documents, were established new contacts, and were discussed the prospects for cooperation.

A rich cultural program includes visiting the city of Arkadag and the State Historical and Cultural Reserve «Nisa», as well as exploring the sights of Ashgabat.