Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The Publikumsmesse für Tourismus und Freizeit (CMT - 2020) International Exhibition of Entertainment, Recreation and Holidays was held in the largest exhibition center of the capital of the German automobile industry Messe Stuttgart. About 22 00 German and foreign travel companies from more than 100 countries, including Uzbekistan, took part in its work, Dunyo reported.

Today CMT is one of the largest international tourism fairs in Europe. It was first held in 1968.

With the assistance of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany, the tourism potential of the republic was presented at the exhibition by a number of large tour companies such as Turkestan Travel and Doca Tours.

During the exhibition, the stands of Uzbek tour companies were visited by thousands of people, among them not only residents of Stuttgart, but also guests who came to the fair from all over the world. Visitors were offered souvenirs and booklets telling about the unique architectural monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Tashkent, Shakhrisabz and other cities of the ancient Silk Road, as well as colorful printed materials demonstrating the culture and traditions of the Uzbek people.

Presentations were also held in conjunction with leading tour companies in Germany, within the framework of which it was noted that large-scale reforms are being carried out in Uzbekistan to modernize the tourism sector. Ecological, pilgrimage, health-improving, folklore-ethnographic, historical-architectural, cultural and educational, gastronomic, skiing and other types of tourism are developing, which contributes to the annual increase in tourist flow to the republic, including from countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The participants and visitors were greatly interested in the information on the introduction in Uzbekistan of a visa-free regime for German citizens from 15 January 2019, as well as on new opportunities for the domestic tourism industry.