The event was jointly organized by UNWTO, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the People’s Government of Gansu Province.

Topics discussed ranged from heritage management, investment, travel facilitation and product development, with aims to establish the Silk Road as one of the world´s most outstanding travel routes, the press service of Uzbektourism said.

With a record level of presence from Asia and the Pacific destinations, the Meeting was attended by over 250 delegates from 25 countries across the Silk Road. A special official welcome was given to new Silk Road Member States, Indonesia and San Marino. Also present were representatives from major institutions and UN agencies including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Council of Europe.

The event discussed wide-range of issues – from management of cultural heritage, attraction of investment, development of tourism product, to organization joint actions to promote Great Silk Road as one tourism rout in travel sector.

Deputy chairperson of Uzbektourism Anvar Temirkhodjaev presented a policy and a practice of quality development of urban tourism in Uzbekistan at the session. The session included presentations of the UNWTO, Azerbaijan, World Bank, South Korea, Georgia, and others.

The delegation of Uzbekistan held several talks and meeting with the UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb D. Rifai, the UNTWO Executive Director for Member Relations and Services Zoltán Somogyi and Head of the UNWTO Silk Road Programme Alla Peresolova.

During the meetings, the sides considered perspective issues of cooperation, including attraction of investments into tourism industry of Uzbekistan and organization of educational courses for Uzbek specialists and students. Taleb D. Rifai supported a proposal of the Government of Uzbekistan on hosting the 99th session of the UNWTO Executive Committee in Samarkand in October 2014 after the Tashkent International Tourism Fair “Tourism on the Silk Road” (TITF 2014).

The sides agreed to hold an international conference of the UNWTO on Great Silk Road Tourism along with the 99th session of the UNWTO Executive Committee in Samarkand.

The UNWTO representatives were invited to participate at the 19th Tashkent International Tourism Fair "Tourism on the Silk Road" (TITF 2013), which will be held in October this year.

The Uzbek delegation also held meetings with the delegation of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China.

The Uzbek side once again invited foreign tour operators and potential investors to visit Uzbekistan and participate at the TITF 2013 with their national stands and attract private companies to the event.

The sides also discussed issues related to hosting the 99th session of the UNWTO Executive Committee in Samarkand in 2014, attraction of tourists and investments into Uzbekistan. The foreign sides supported initiatives of Uzbekistan.

The Uzbektourism delegation also met representatives of Chinese tourism companies and mass media to discuss tourism potential of Uzbekistan.

China’ SilkRoadDevelopmentCo.Ltd expressed interest in cooperation in investments in developing hotel business in Uzbekistan. The Chinese firm affirmed its intention to participate at the event.

The negotiations showed that the UNWTO and foreign tourism administrations consider Uzbekistan as one of main tourism directions in the Central Asian region and ready to support hosting of large international forums in Uzbekistan, including the the 99th session of the UNWTO Executive Committee in Samarkand in 2014.