The UNWTO Silk Road Programme successfully conducted a Silk Road Tourism Research Training for the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Tourism Development in May 2018.

Attended by over 15 senior officials from the State Committees on Tourism Development and Statistics of Uzbekistan, the training offered contemporary know-how on mixed-method tourism research approaches aimed at supporting the country’s collection of relevant quantitative and qualitative tourism data. The course also focused on the importance of correctly assessing the profile of the international traveller, an understanding that could help identify relevant tourism trends, and behaviours and attitudes related to the host destination.

50 university students from around the country also attended the training and acquired the necessary skills to conduct a tourism research initiative along the historic Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan this summer.

Also, in an effort to balance theory with practice, the senior officials and students participated in a pilot study in Tashkent where they had the chance to converse with international travellers and gain hands-on tourism research experience, an initial understanding of the current state of tourism demand, and further develop their interpersonal and data collection skills.

UNWTO Silk Road programme congratulates the initiative of Uzbekistan and stands ready to assist its other 33 Member States in advancing Silk Road tourism research and intelligence.