The Ancient Silk Road Leads to Tourism’s Future.
Under azure skies, the ancient city of Samarkand comes alive, welcoming global tourism leaders to the crossroads of the old Silk Road. The 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly represents a pilgrimage to the past and a passage to the future, as delegates from over 120 countries gather to shape tourism’s role in building a more sustainable world.
The location seems fitting for an industry at a crossroads. Samarkand conjures images of camel caravans laden with spices, silk, and ideas. For over 2,500 years, this legendary city has linked cultures from East to West. Just as the ancient Silk Road turned Samarkand into a thriving hub of trade and innovation, today’s tourism leaders hope to transform travel into a force for good.
Read: 25th UNWTO General Assembly
“We meet at a vital moment for tourism,” declares UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “It is up to us to fulfill tourism’s potential as a source of opportunity and understanding between people and cultures.”
The challenges are as daunting as the deserts traders once crossed. A climate crisis threatens prized destinations. Geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty loom at every border. And tourism must still recover fully from its battering during the pandemic.
Yet Pololikashvili remains optimistic: “I am confident in our ability to identify workable solutions, prioritizing tourism investment, jobs and education.”
Certainly, the setting stirs ambition. Samarkand exudes history, its turquoise domes and tiled minarets climbing over flat rooftops towards the heavens. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, the city compelled medieval traveler Marco Polo to describe it as “the noblest and most beautiful in the world.”
But the breaths of the past now mingle with winds of change. Uzbekistan has committed to sustainable and green tourism, promoting its natural and cultural richness while improving local livelihoods.
“Uzbekistan will remain a steadfast ally of UNWTO in making tourism inclusive and accessible worldwide,” pledges Aziz Abdukhakimov, the nation’s Minister of Ecology.
The General Assembly offers a stage to share Uzbekistan’s vision while tackling tourism’s global challenges. During three days of lively forums, delegates will explore investing in sustainable tourism, educating tomorrow’s workforce, promoting rural development, and applying technology for accessibility.
From shimmering Samarkand, new guideposts for tourism’s future will emerge. Partnerships will form, ideas will arise, and confidence will build – just as they did when merchants and pilgrims first gathered at this exceptional spot along the storied Silk Road. Though the caravans have gone, tourism still thrives upon discovery, exchange, and dreams.
