The new project "MOST - A model for sustainable tourism in Central Asia: Building Potential, Awareness Raising, Technologies Implementation" aims to increase the tourism potential of the Central Asian countries. It is being implemented as part of the Switch Asia initiative of the European Union. The strategic goal of the project is to raise environmental awareness and introduce appropriate practices and technologies in the hotel business in Central Asia.
In Uzbekistan, the Association of private tourism agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) was selected as the executing organization for the project.
As part of the implementation of project tasks, it is planned to provide methodological and technical support to accommodation facilities by providing relevant knowledge and ICT tools. It should be noted that in addition to establishing procedures and training on modern technologies, this activity is related to the definition of an action plan and the development of an investment plan. In addition, the project "MOST - A model for sustainable tourism in Central Asia: Building Capacities, Creating Awareness, Introducing technology" will provide 40 tourism organizations in Uzbekistan with relevant equipment such as energy / water meters, as well as sensors for recording and monitoring indoor conditions.
At the moment, the project, funded by the European Union, has been implemented in the following regions: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm and Tashkent, where more than 300 participants took part.
By invitation, 300 tourism enterprises of Uzbekistan will be selected, which will be able to take advantage of the following opportunities:
- Participation in a 4-day training course (1 person per organization) on selected topics of environmental management in tourism enterprises.
- Installing and using software technologies for data management for environmental certification purposes.
- Get the opportunity to obtain and install monitoring hardware and software.
- To be selected among 40 enterprises, which will be provided with special equipment free of charge.
GSTC training for sustainable tourism and green procurement to improve competitiveness. Awareness of the importance of introducing eco-programs in the hospitality industry allows tourism organizations not only to take care of the environment and use the available resources rationally, but also is a powerful tool for economic management that allows them to stimulate the growth of profitability and profitability and increase competitiveness.
The presence of eco-certification has a positive effect on the image of the hotel business, is a powerful marketing "green" tool and serves to increase guest loyalty. Thanks to this, tour operators and tourists are beginning to choose such hotels for cooperation more often, which contributes to additional profit.
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 project continues.