Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the exhibition of the tourism potential of Uzbekistan, organized at the international tourist center “Great Silk Road” in Samarkand.

As you know, the 25th session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization is being held in Samarkand these days. The organization of this summit was a recognition of the open door policy pursued in Uzbekistan and its huge tourism potential.

Thus, favorable opportunities for the development of tourism are being created in our country. A visa-free regime has been introduced for citizens of about 100 countries, and a simplified procedure for granting an electronic visa has been established for citizens of another 55 states.

Tourism infrastructure is developing, the number of hotels, tourist destinations and routes is growing. This year alone, 15 thousand new hotel places have been created, their total number has reached 140 thousand. 540 recreation places have been built, 70 tourist routes have been opened. 6 private airlines have started operating.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the presence of a large untapped potential, stressed that the main summit of the World Tourism Organization is a great opportunity to demonstrate this.

The exhibition presents the tourism and investment potential of 14 regions of our country: the possibilities of such picturesque corners as Zaamin, Charvak, Chimgan and other recreational areas, tourist villages, locations of ecological and extreme tourism.

The stands of the Tourism Committee, Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbekistan Airports and Uzbekistan helicopters were organized. Part of the exposition is devoted to the tourism potential of the Central Asian states, startup projects implemented jointly with foreign partners.

In general, promising projects totaling US$2 billion will be presented to investors during the exhibition.

The President of Uzbekistan visited the exhibition pavilions together with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili. The responsible persons were given instructions to create tourist facilities around interesting locations in the regions, expand the conditions for visiting them, as well as the formation of a portfolio of specific investment projects.