News

On August 14, a workshop entitled “Ladies Workshop: Creating unique cross-border itineraries and the secrets of word of mouth in Central Asia” was held at the Hampton by Hilton Tashkent hotel. This event brought together 35 female tour operators who are ready to become leaders in the tourism industry and bring a new perspective to the development of tourism in Central Asia.

The participants had a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge, develop skills and find inspiration for further work in the tourism business. The seminar program was rich and included discussion of such key topics as managing customer expectations when creating cross-border itineraries, developing effective tourism products, as well as creating unique itineraries inspired by successful examples from the world practice.

The seminar was part of the project of the Association of Private Tourism Agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) "Increasing sustainable tourism development through the introduction of certification, the use of digital tools and cross-border cooperation" which is implemented under The USAID Future Growth Initiative. This important initiative aims to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of tour operators in the current market conditions.

The key expert at the seminar was Evgeny Zalberg, who has more than 15 years of experience in the tourism industry. The expert shared with the workshop participants his views and insights that will help them better understand how to create truly unique tourism products and successfully promote them. His deep understanding of the market, extensive knowledge and practical experience made his presentation valuable and useful for all those present.

The workshop also included presentation of the methodological manual “How to include word of mouth on a cross-border itinerary?” and developed cross-border itineraries uniting Central Asian countries. The manual gives practical advice to tour operators on the development of tour products, reveals the topic of managing customer expectations, talks about individual approach to tourists and work with feedback.
These recommendations will help tour operators to promote their tours more effectively, while ensuring high quality service and customer satisfaction.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that this workshop was the first experience of APTA in holding a seminar exclusively for female professionals in the tourism industry. The organizers are confident that women's perspective and energy can bring unique and valuable perspectives to the development and promotion of tourism products. This seminar format will certainly be the beginning of a new tradition, and such initiatives will continue in the future, contributing to the empowerment and strengthening the position of women in the tourism business.

The seminar ended on a high note, leaving the participants inspired and motivated to further develop their professional skills and ideas, as well as confident that women's leadership in tourism has great prospects.