Chairman of the upper house of the Parliament of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held on Thursday, 24 November, a working meeting in the Avaza on the Caspian coast dedicated to the development of the tourist zone.
The meeting, attended by members of parliament, DPMs, members of the State Security Council, as well as heads of ministries and sectoral departments, voiced a number of initiatives aimed to enhance the role of the Caspian resort and attract flows of foreign tourists.
Thus, DPM, foreign minister Rashid Meredov, in order to fully realize the economic and tourist potential of Avaza, noted the expediency of improving the contractual and legal framework for cooperation with foreign countries in the field of tourism.
He also underlined the need to expand contacts with leading specialized organizations. In this regard, it was proposed to invite representatives of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to Turkmenistan in the second quarter of 2023 and organize a Forum on the development of international tourism in the NTZ “Avaza” as part of their visit.
Meredov also emphasized the necessity of holding discussions with international organizations and foreign partners in 2023 to exchange experiences in order to strengthen and create capacity in the fields of ecological, natural, and medical tourism.
He also proposed to organize jointly with UNESCO, a Regional forum “Strengthening the culture of peace through tourism” in the second half of 2023 in the NTZ “Avaza”. The initiative will be in line with the Amman Declaration on Strengthening Peace through Tourism Development, adopted in November 2000.
In addition, the launching a special visa regime in the resort territory is advisable to attract foreign tourists.
During his remarks chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the creation of a modern transport and logistics infrastructure in the resort. In particular, the possibilities of the International Airport and Seaport in Turkmenbashi should be effectively used, he said.
He also stressed the need to expand the territory of the recreation area, accelerate the construction of new tourist facilities on the coast of the Caspian Sea and improve the quality of services.
According to Arkadag, business circles from around the world, including Japan, are showing great interest in participating in the realization of development projects in the National Tourist Zone “Avaza”, which indicates the growing attractiveness of Turkmenistan for foreign business partners.
Continuing the meeting, he spoke in favor of holding international cultural events of various levels in Avaza, including popularization of national culture.
In addition, he drew attention to the importance of a responsible approach to the development of sports at the seashore and compliance with appropriate sanitary and hygienic standards.
Furthermore, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty said that, as during the vacation season and at other times of the year, coordinated traffic should be strictly controlled, vacationers on the Caspian coast should adhere to the rules and procedures for entry into and exit from the Avaza NTZ. ///nCa, 25 November 2022