BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 19. Uzbekistan’s
Tourism Committee and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of
Russia have signed an agreement to expand tourism cooperation,
including through special travel programs for Russian trade union
members and their families.


This was reflected in the statement by the National Committee of
Tourism of Uzbekistan, following a meeting between Committee Deputy
Chairman S. Tajiyev and a delegation from the Federation of
Independent Trade Unions of Russia.


According to the committee, the sides also discussed prospects
for increasing tourist exchanges and developing joint
initiatives.


''The meeting highlighted the potential of Russian trade unions,
which represent workers at major enterprises and organizations, to
help generate organized tourist flows to Uzbekistan,'' the National
Committee of Tourism says.


The sides proposed jointly developing several tourism segments,
including family and children's tourism, health and wellness
tourism, medical tourism, cultural and educational tourism,
ecotourism and ski tourism. Special travel programs could be
created for trade union members and their families.


Particular attention was given to pilgrimage tourism, especially
for residents of Russia's Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and other
regions. Potential itineraries could include the historic cities of
Samarkand and Bukhara, as well as Tashkent, the Center of Islamic
Civilization and the Imam Bukhari complex.


The sides also identified MICE and industrial tourism as
promising areas for cooperation. These could include business
events in Uzbekistan and visits to modern enterprises, technology
parks and industrial facilities.







''The cooperation is expected to contribute to further growth in
mutual tourist flows and strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties
between the two countries,'' the Uzbek Tourism Committee said.


Following the meeting, the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee and the
Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia signed an
agreement on cooperation in tourism.


The agreement provides for the development of special tour
packages, direct links between trade unions and tourism
organizations, familiarization trips and joint promotion of
Uzbekistan's tourism opportunities in Russia.


The agreement could provide Uzbekistan with an additional
channel for attracting organized groups of Russian tourists, while
allowing Russian trade union members to access tailored travel
programs covering leisure, health, culture and pilgrimage.


The initiative comes as Uzbekistan seeks to diversify its
tourism offerings and strengthen cooperation with Russia, one of
the country's key tourism markets.