Baku hosts meeting of Silk Road initiative working group

Baku, April 22 (AZERTAC). III meeting of the working group on the initiative of the Silk Road of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is underway in Baku.

The meeting aims at support for sustainable development of tourism along the Silk Road and expands the cooperation within the UNWTO initiative on the Silk Road. The meeting is attended by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev, UNWTO Executive Director Zoltán Somogyi, as well as representatives from UNWTO, UNESCO, World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), participant countries and Azerbaijan.

First, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai’s video message was heard. In his speech, Minister Abulfas Garayev said that the Silk Road historically connected new ties and traditions: “Currently, we are trying to further develop these ties. The development of this road will bring closer cooperation and marketing to the countries. The Silk Road is important not only for the countries participating in this conference, but also for the entire tourism community.”

A special tourism project on the Silk Road for 2013 will be presented, plan of the project, its short-term and long-term perspectives, the interests of the participants and the effectiveness of the project will be discussed at the meeting to end April 23.