Yesterday on 21st November the meeting dedicated to “Ziyarat Tourism” (Tourism on Visiting Islamic Shrines) was held in Muslim Board of Uzbekistan with the participation of representatives from the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Center for Islamic Civilization, Tashkent Islamic University and leading touristic firms.
The event was opened by O.Yusupov’s speech who mentioned President Sh.Mirziyoyev’s presentation during his visit to Samarkand region on November 9-10 regarding the tasks on widening the scope of Ziyarat Tourism. He, Mr. O.Yusupov, noted that in order to attract tourists to Bukhara and Samarkand from Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Islamic countries, a number of working groups were organized which work on particular directions.
During the meeting Mr. Akmal Qosimov, a specialist from “Azia tour” firm suggested to pay attention to “Silsilai Alia” (Shrines of 12 Saints), to introduce special packages such as “Umra Plus” to Malaysian and Indonesian tourists.
The participants proposed to sign memorandum among participating parties in the process: The Committee on Religious Affairs, Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Tashkent Islamic University, The Center for Islamic Civilization, Charity on Shrine Protection and “Uzbektourism”.
A meeting was held yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the implementation of the decree of the Head of our state “On Measures to Further Develop Domestic and Pilgrimage Tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan” dated February 9, 2021, and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On Additional Measures to Implement the “Umrah Plus” Pilgrimage Tourism Program dated January 9, 2026, as well as to expanding tourist flows from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore to Uzbekistan, reports Dunyo IA.
According to the MFA, the meeting, organized in a hybrid format, was attended by representatives of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Technical Regulation Agency, the khokimiyats of Bukhara and Samarkand regions and Tashkent city, JSC Uzbekistan Airways, JSC Uzbekistan Airports, domestic airlines, the Uzbekistan–Malaysia–Indonesia Travel Association, the Association of Umrah Pilgrimage Travel Agencies, as well as nearly 40 representatives of tourism companies.
Participants discussed in detail transport and logistics, service quality, and promotional measures aimed at increasing tourist arrivals to Uzbekistan from Southeast Asian countries. In particular, they considered increasing the number of flights from Malaysia, launching direct flights from Indonesia and Singapore, intensifying promotional activities for pilgrimage tourism under the “Umrah Plus” program, aligning infrastructure for foreign pilgrims with international halal standards, and strengthening coordination with tourism companies operating in this field.
The event was held in an open dialogue format based on the “problem–proposal–solution” approach, providing participants with an opportunity to exchange constructive views on existing challenges and opportunities in the sector.