Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Shakhrisabz is a unique city, a monument of ancient town planning and architecture of Central Asia. It occupies a special place among other historical cities of Uzbekistan. It is the birthplace of Amir Temur, which later became the second capital of a huge medieval empire in the XIV century.

The surviving monuments of the time clearly demonstrate the former greatness of the city. In 2000, UNESCO declared the historic center of Shakhrisabz a masterpiece of world heritage.

Today, Shahrisabz is a city in Kashkadarya region, located near the foothills of the Gissar mountains on the border with the Karshi steppe. The unique nature and architectural monuments of Shakhrisabz are an attractive factor for tourists from all over the world. Of particular interest is Shakhrisabz among CBT-lovers.

CBT (Community based tourism) is becoming increasingly popular with tourists who want to get closer to the traditions and way of life of local people, to enjoy untouched nature. This type of tourism is based on the use of the tourism potential of rural areas with accommodation in family houses of local residents. Given that the number of tourists coming to Uzbekistan is constantly increasing, the number of rural family guest houses is growing.

For owners of family-run guest houses who are taking the “first steps” in the CBT tourism segment, it is necessary to obtain the necessary skills for effective operations. For the implementation of this task, the activities of the European Union’s project “Strengthening Agriculture and Ecotourism through Business Associations for Sustainable Economic Development in Central Asia”, which is successfully carried out by the Association of Private Tourism Organizations of Uzbekistan (APTO), contribute.

On 10-15 June, the APTO, with the support of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the Development of Tourism, organized a training entitled “Organization of Effective Activity of a Family Guest House” for owners of family guest houses in the city of Shahrisabz. The training program is aimed at strengthening the capacity of participants to organize work and successfully manage rural tourism and guest houses.

The training program was as rich as possible; it included topics of narrow specialization that are important for the successful functioning of guest houses, such as guest house management, etiquette for receiving and serving tourists.

As part of the educational process, great emphasis was placed on practical exercises. The participants of the training really liked the developed role-playing games, as well as outdoor activities in the existing family guest houses. Training participants noted that practical exercises helped them to more effectively master the information provided by industry experts.