Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 27-30 September, one of the largest international forums “Friendship Bridge. Tourism 2022: new opportunities and prospects” was held in online format.

This forum was held in cooperation with the National Research Institute for the Study of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development under the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), as well as with the technical support of the National University of Bioresources and Nature Management.

The online forum, held as part of International Tourism Day, became a large discussion platform, which was attended by representatives from all over the world, and industry representatives from different countries delivered lectures and presentations in such areas as "Digital Tourism", "Gastronomic Tourism", "Pilgrimage Tourism", "Artistic Tourism", "Sustainable Tourism" and "Cultural Tourism".

The forum was broadcast simultaneously on two platforms - "Webex" and "YouTube".

It is worth noting that completely different cultures were presented at the forum and new subtleties of the activity of guides from different countries of the world, from Argentina to Indonesia, were reflected. Representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Israel, China, Italy, Iran, India, Moldova, Pakistan, Poland, Ukraine and other countries spoke.

Despite the time difference between countries, in addition to Uzbekistan, the forum was attended by Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Great Britain, Germany, Egypt, Israel, Italy, India, Jordan, Iran, Canada, Cyprus, Colombia, Kosovo, Mauritius, Malaysia, Moldova, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, USA, Tunisia, Ukraine, Philippines, Croatia, South Africa.

During the forum, topical, problematic issues in the activities of guides were discussed in detail, proposals were made.

The participants of the international forum unanimously expressed their desire to further organize this forum offline and take a direct part. As a result of the forum, the participants were awarded certificates of international standard.

In conclusion, it should be noted that events of this level will contribute to the exchange of experience in the field of tourism and hospitality, the strengthening of practical ties, the establishment of new strong business ties and, of course, the further development of tourism.