The eighteenth \"Tourism on the Silk Road\" Tashkent International Tourism Fair closed in Tashkent. It was attended by representatives of more than seven hundred companies from dozens of countries, including United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, France, China, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Vietnam, Turkey, Turkmenistan and India.

This international forum gathered more participants than in previous years, and more presentations of projects, demonstrations of new tourism destinations were held.

The potential for tourism, travel agencies and companies from all regions of our country were widely represented at the national pavilion of Uzbekistan.

- Sirdarya region offers optimal conditions for the development of ecotourism, - the general director of \"Sirdareturizm\" Khairullah Juraev said. - To develop the foreign and domestic tourism recreation zones are being organized along the river. Here tourists can engage in fishing, hunting, to travel through the water. The tourists come from countries such as China, Malaysia, Japan to Sirdarya. For greater involvement of tourists to the region historical sites and museums are reconstructed. During the forum, we have signed contracts with more than forty foreign companies and about one hundred travel agencies of the country.

- The fair was very fruitful, – says the director of the Namangan tourist bureau of the Uzbektourism National Company Hoshimdjan Gaybullaev. - We managed to sign agreements with 25 foreign travel agencies and 40 local tour operators. Namagan has numerous health centers, such as \"Gulshan\", \"Chortoq\", \"Kosonsoy.\" This allows to constantly develop the tourism industry. Increasing number of people coming from all regions of our country are treated in our health centers. Tourism development contributes to the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, creation of new jobs, higher incomes and living standards.

As part of the international fair, the forum on the state and prospects of development of regional tourism was held.

- We found that tourism in Uzbekistan develops rapidly, - said the representative of the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia William Kalua. - Your country is located in the center of the Silk Road, has great potential for tourism development. Many Indonesians are interested in your historical monuments, places of worship, your rich culture. In this connection, establishment of tourist exchanges is useful for both countries. We have signed mutually beneficial agreements with travel agencies and companies in Samarkand and Tashkent during the fair.

Having visited the festival of national dishes and \"Oriental bazaar\" stand, the participants received diverse and useful information about Uzbek national dishes and kitchen. In the \"City of craftsmen\" stand, they could see the products of national crafts.

As part of the Tashkent International Tourism Fair the winners in the \"Best Travel Destination\", \"Best Company\", \"Best Hotel\" and \"Best Stand\" were also announced. (Source: UzA news agency)