Samarkand hosted a series of webinars within the framework of the European Union project “MOST - A model for sustainable tourism in Central Asia: Building Capacities, Creating Awareness, Introducing technology”. The webinars were organized by the Association of private tourism agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) in cooperation with the Department for Tourism Development of the Samarkand Region and the International University of Tourism "Silk Road" with the support of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the Development of Tourism in the framework of the European Union initiative "Switch Asia".
The project is designed to increase the tourism potential of the countries of the Central Asian region. For the successful implementation of the project, a strong team was formed from effectively working organizations from 6 countries (Greece, Cyprus, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). In Uzbekistan, the Association of private tourism agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) was selected as the executing organization for the project.
Participant certification training focuses on the following standards:
• ISO 14001: 2015 (Environmental Management System);
• HCMI (Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative). It is a methodology and toolkit designed for the hospitality industry;
• CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).
The introduction of environmental technologies in accommodation facilities allows attracting environmentally conscious customers, whose share is steadily growing, while the additional costs associated with a responsible attitude are compensated by equally responsible guests and resource savings during the further operation of the hotel or guest house. In Samarkand, 109 hoteliers took part in the event.
