Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A meeting of the Council of Tourism Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries was held in the city of Sochi.

During the event, Umid Shadiev, Chairman of Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee, presented the key directions of the reforms being implemented in the country’s tourism industry to the participants.

In his speech, it was emphasized that tourism in Uzbekistan is viewed as one of the strategic drivers of sustainable socio-economic development. The country is undertaking a comprehensive set of measures to promote “green” tourism, digitally transform the sector, and actively develop areas such as rural, medical, and gastronomic tourism. Special attention is being paid to supporting domestic tourism, environmental initiatives, and the introduction of modern digital services.

A significant part of the meeting’s agenda was devoted to the activities of the CIS’s core organization for workforce training in tourism — the International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, located in Samarkand.

Following the meeting, initiatives were endorsed to declare 2025–2026 as the Year of Mountain Tourism in the CIS, as well as to expand interstate tourism routes and develop joint projects such as the “Precious Necklace of the Commonwealth” and the “CIS Travel Hub.”

Additionally, participants approved a proposal to create a unified digital platform for CIS tourists designed to conduct analytics, collect statistical data, and improve the quality of tourism services.

The event also included a series of related activities involving representatives of the tourism sector from CIS countries, including an expert meeting on sustainable development of the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts, a business dialogue among CIS states on tourism issues, and other thematic sessions.