NATIONAL INFORMATION AGENCY OF TAJIKISTAN "KHOVAR"

It is well-known that tourism is recognized as one of the highly profitable area of the world economy and economic phenomena of the 20th century.

Tourism plays an important role in generating GDP, revitalization of foreign trade balance, employment of population and creation of new additional jobs and promotes the development of various sectors such as transport and communications, culture, arts, production of consumers goods and other sectors of economy  in majority of countries.

Tajikistan has also rich historical and cultural inheritances and natural resources and has a real potential for encouragement of more tourists to the country. Having taken into account the above-mentioned factors, the Government of Tajikistan has identified the tourism as priority of its economic policy.

Tajikistan established fruitful cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (WTO) from the very beginning of its accession to this Organization.  In May 2010, His Excellency T. Rifai, WTO Secretary General, has visited Tajikistan and had successful meetings with Emomali Rahmon,  the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and a number of officials in relevant ministries and agencies of the country. As a result, a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism  cooperation was signed between relevant authorized agencies and WTO.

With a view to encouraging more tourists to the country and presentation of tourism resources of the country in both internal and international markets of the sector, for the first time in 2008, the Tourism Exhibition of “Tajikistan is country of tourism” was conducted in Dushanbe, which covered 200m2 and involved all tourism companies and regions with potential for tourism.

With a view to integrating Tajikistan into the international tourism process,  the representatives in charge of tourism sector have been participating in the biggest tourism exhibitions held in Berlin (Germany), Tokio (Japan) and London (UK) since 2008. As a result, the world tourism community recognized Tajikistan as the country with four Silk Road directions.

In this period, with a view to conducting publicity of the policy of the  Government on the rational use of water resources, international expeditions for discovery of the peaks of Ismoili Somoni and Ozodi have been conducted within the Programme of “Water for Life” since 2009.

Alpinists from different countries, including France, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and other countries participated in the mountaineering expeditions.

It should be pointed out that in 2010, the flag of the Republic of Tajikistan and the logo of “Water for Life” was installed at the altitude of 7495m in the peak of Ismoili Somoni, which is the highest peak in the CIS region.