International Travel Bazaar

Ravshan Turakulov (CEO in Silk Road Destinations, Samarkand), Shavkat Turdikulov (Sogda Tour, Samarkand), Nargiza Salomova (Chairman of the Association of Guides of Uzbekistan and National Trainer for World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, Tashkent), Otabek Karshiev (top category guide, Tashkent).

Moderator: Said Muminov (Silk Road Destinations, Samarkand).

English-speaking speakers participate in this event. The consecutive translation will be provide.

Is it true that if a tourist has purchased a group tour, then his only option is life by the rules? If the tourism business is built on the principle of tourist return, recommendations and word of mouth, is it possible to make every traveler happy with a group tour? Let's talk about the importance of free time inside the trip and how each member of the group can get the feeling as if your tour were made for them exactly.

Evgeny Zalberg (guide, trainer, head of Business Development at

Turmashina, St. Petersburg)

Jason Brahim (sport and extreme travel enthusiast, Pittsburgh), Farrukh Irnazarov, head of representative office of Chemonics International, Tashkent)

English-speaking speakers participate in this event. The consecutive translation will be provide.

This round table will bring the tourism industry and academia closer together to discuss, the then, now, and future of the tourism and hospitality industries in Uzbekistan. The panel members represent both sides of this vital industry that play a significant role in the economic development of Uzbekistan. What can they share to make a tourism future brighter and more fruitful? And what doors may open with such exchanges to bring both sides to better cooperation for common results?

Sherzod Kattakhodjaev (manager of the UNDP project "Market Transformation for Sustainable Rural Housing in Uzbekistan", Tashkent), Martin Petrich (sustainable tourism development expert of the consulting company mascontour, Berlin), Nazira Miinekeyeva (control manager of the Olive Kyrgyzstan hotel chain, an independent expert in OTA online sales and hotel automatisation).

Moderator: Anton Koval, sustainability development expert, CEO in "Apostrophe" Agency (Tashkent).

English-speaking speakers participate in this event. The consecutive translation will be provide.

Tatiana Spurnova (founder of the Business Transformation Bureau and creative agency MaxMedium, focused on MICE clients, business mentor, coach and author of bestsellers about MICE and Event business, Alanya), Diyor Mirzaakhmedov (Chairman of the Board of Marketing Association of Uzbekistan, Tashkent), Yerkin Tikenov (head of the consulting company Inside Travel, PhD candidate, Almaty), Foziljon Kasimov (head and founder of the Emehmon service and company, Tashkent).

Moderator: Michael Shamshidov, international tourism development expert (Tashkent).

Experience of tour operators, guest business and associations of Kyrgyzstan. How it works and what results the partnership of local tourism associations and international partners brings in the implementation of sustainable practices.

Damira Raeva (Deputy Director of Helvetas Kyrgyzstan), Nargiza Kudaiberdieva (Project Manager GreenTour-Sustainable Tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic), Kuban Ashyrkulov (CATOS expert).

Alexandr Mashkov (service-trainer, expert on service and hospitality, Tashkent), Malika Sootbekova (ex-CEO of the "Mayram Group" network, expert in strategic management of the restaurant business, Bishkek).

If the hotel is not on the Internet, then it does not have a business at all. Today it is obvious to everyone that being online is vital. However, just "being" is not enough. It is necessary to work with OTA skillfully. What is important to understand about Booking.com in order to enjoy all the benefits that the platform provides? And how is Booking.com related to meta-search engines and websites for travelers?

Nazira Miinekeyeva (control manager of the Olive Kyrgyzstan hotel chain, an independent expert in OTA online sales and hotel automatization, Bishkek).

Ravshan Turakulov (CEO in Silk Road Destinations, Samarkand), Ksenia Anikeeva (Creative and Executive producer of Performing Arts, concept and script in “IN.VISIBLE SAMARKAND”, Moscow - Samarkand).

The SCO countries are rich in fertile agricultural lands. Agriculture is the mainstream revenue source of they nations and contributes to more than half of employment sources. In spite of this, there is a lack of rural tourism in these countries which is an issue of national importance. Now, when The Silk Road as a destination is taking a step ahead and oriented toward promoting tourism and making their countries top tourist destinations, agritourism can do a lot in this regard. Besides, for developing countries, agritourism provides a number of economic benefits.

We will talk about innovative approaches and ideas in agritourism and will observe what's being done already, what more needs to be done, and what incredible strategies may be implemented to bring agritourism to Central Asia. We will also discover the potential of agritourism in Uzbekistan and how it is currently developing in Georgia.

Muhammad Umar Aslam (Agriculture and Agritourism Expert, International Department at International Agriculture University Uzbekistan, Islamabad), Ian Patterson (Professor of Tourism Management Department at “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Brisbane), Lela Khartishvili (Agritourism consultant at FAO and Associate Professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi).

Moderator: Farrukh Irnazarov (head of representative office of Chemonics International in Uzbekistan, Tashkent)