In the recent years Uzbekistan has recorded a stable growth of the number of tourists from Benelux countries. Visits to Uzbekistan are becoming more popular among the residents of Belgium and Netherlands.

Currently, more than 20 Dutch and Belgian tour operators are specializing in organization of tourist trips to Uzbekistan.

Flanders Educational Centre of Tourism, located in the city of Gent and uniting more than 300 tourist guides of Flanders, is working actively in this direction. This organization selects a country as thematic every year. This year Uzbekistan became the object of its attention, ?Jahon? reported.

The preparation of tour leaders of Flanders for a series of trips to Uzbekistan started long before the departure. The center?s library collected necessary information, contracts with Uzbek tourist firms were signed, and tourist routes were developed in detail.

The first group of Flanders tour leaders visited Uzbekistan in April. During their stay in the country they visited Tashkent, Ferghana Valley, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand.

Ms. Miya Bogart, head of Flanders tour leaders group, deputy director of Flanders Educational Centre of Tourism, shared his impressions on the visit and said that the trip remained in her memory in every respect.

\\\"Two tourist groups from Flanders are visiting Uzbekistan these days, and it is planned to organize several more similar tours, as well as a special presentation of tourist and cultural potential of Uzbekistan in Flanders,\\\" Bogart noted.