An international educational forum “Global Forum on Education: the basis of construction tourism” held in Samarkand within the framework of the 25th General Assembly of the UNWTO. More than 1200 foreign and domestic specialists and experts from more than 30 countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Great Britain, Greece, India, Spain, Italy, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Malaysia, Pakistan and others, took part in it.

This World Tourism Organisation forum highlights the close link between education and tourism development. It once again reminded the global community of the crucial importance of education as a means of sustainable development and inclusive growth for the future of the tourism industry. Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Rector of “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, Minister of Pre-school and School Education Hilola Umarova and Executive Director of the UNWTO Education Direction Natalia Bayona took part in the forum. The lectures touched upon such topical issues as the establishment of continuity between tourism and education in the training of qualified specialists in the field of tourism at the present stage, strengthening of cooperation between the states in this direction, implementation of scientific and innovative achievements.

At the end of the international forum, a number of memoranda of understanding and co-operation were signed.