From November 1 to November 3, 2022 Uzbekistan is hosting International Ziyarah Tourism Week in its ancient cities Samarkand, Khiva, Bukhara and Tashkent.
The purpose of the event is to showcase the potential of the pilgrimage tourism in the country, make Uzbekistan one of the most attractive tourist destinations, gain high recognition from the world community and international organizations, as well as diversify pilgrimage tourism services and increase tourism exports.
Tourism Week is held at the initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in cooperation with a number of organizations.
The weekly program includes exhibitions, seminars, scientific and practical conferences as well as cultural and educational events aimed at the development of pilgrimage tourism, a visit to the new Silk Road tourist center in Samarkand, the International Exhibition of Crafts on the theme “Khiva – the Capital of Tourism of the Islamic World” and other events.
According to the decision of the Government of Uzbekistan “International Pilgrimage Tourism Week” will be held annually in the first week of November.
It should be noted that the tourism sector is defined by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev as one of the strategic sectors of the country’s national economy. In a short time, thanks to the open-door policy in Uzbekistan, the number of visa-free countries has grown from 9 to 90 countries over the past three years, and a system for issuing electronic visas for citizens of more than 50 countries including India has also been introduced.
Such ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and others are becoming popular destinations among Indian tourists as well. There are 4 direct flights per week between Delhi and Tashkent operated by “Uzbekistan Airways” which takes only around 2 hours and 30 minutes flight between capitals of two countries. Indian tourists can get entry electronic visa (e-visa) of Uzbekistan via special portal https://e-visa.gov.uz/main within three days.