The Gastronomic Tourism Congress for People and Planet: Innovation, Empowerment and Conservation, held on 1-3 May at “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Samarkand, was significant in that it was very productively organised.

The international congress was organised in cooperation with Pamukkala University in the Republic of Turkey. It included professors, scientists from countries such as Turkey, Indonesia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, who are developing gastronomic tourism and obtaining practical results in this direction, visited and considered the theories to be implemented in this field.

The high-level conference was hosted by J.Eltazarov, First Vice-Rector of “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, who opened the conference with his opening speech and wished the international congress good luck.

Last year, we signed an agreement with “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage on cooperation in the field of gastronomic tourism. On the basis of this agreement, we organised this conference. Indeed, the national cuisine, gastronomic culture plays a huge role in tourism development in attracting tourists to the country. The native Uzbekistan is known for its cuisine, its bakery. It is very important for tourism to present this wonderful cultural wealth to tourists in a very beautiful way. This conference is noteworthy because it discusses various issues of gastronomic tourism, said Professor Ahmet Kutluhan, rector of Pamukkala University in the Republic of Turkey.

The first day of the international congress took place in an atmosphere of general working spirit, with speeches in the field of gastronomic tourism given by scientists, which aroused the interest of all participants.

On 2 May, the participants of the international congress were the first to visit Amir Temur’s mausoleum and to bless our great ancestor. Then they visited Registan square, the heart of the city of Samarkand, where they got intimately acquainted with unique facets of construction and architecture created by our ancestors. The guests also toured the Bibihonim and Shahi Zinda mosque complexes, Ulugbek Observatory and Khoja Daniel Mausoleum.

On 3 May, a combination of theory and practice, that is, a meeting, a dialogue between scholars and entrepreneurs working in the field of gastronomic tourism, was topical in the programme of the international congress. At the event, scientists and entrepreneurs talked about the tasks that need to be solved today in the field of gastronomic tourism and answered the questions of university students.

Overall, the international congress, which was held for the first time in Samarkand on the initiative of “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, will be used in scientific and practical process as a recommendation on topical issues raised in the sphere of gastronomic tourism.