ASTANA – The Year of Tourism 2023 forum kicked off on Nov. 23 in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, reported the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) press service.
The program, which will last until Nov. 26, will address the potential of tourism in the SCO space, the travel industry’s sustainable development, and poverty reduction.
It is the first forum held by the SCO Secretariat to increase the appeal of cities and regions in the SCO space as tourism destinations.
The major event is the plenary session on the tourism potential of the SCO countries. The program also includes panel discussions, meetings between travel agencies and business circles, and visits to Xinjiang tourist attractions.
It will gather government officials, representatives of international organizations, observers, and dialogue partners.
SCO member states declared 2023 the SCO Year of Tourism during the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of SCO member states held in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
Kazakhstan chairs SCO from July 2023 to July 2024, and Almaty was announced as the SCO cultural and tourism capital for this period.
