CAREC Tourism Seminar at the ADB Annual Meeting Explores Opportunities to Promote the Silk Road as a Global Tourism Destination

On 5 May 2026, on the sidelines of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the government officials, development partners and international experts gathered to discuss regional cooperation, connectivity, and tourism development across the Silk Road region. 

Panelists at the “CAREC and the Global Silk Road: Connecting Regions through Tourism” seminar discussed how the CAREC countries can leverage its Silk Road heritage to become a top global tourism destination.  

Participants explored opportunities to further develop multicountry tourism routes, strengthen regional branding, and foster closer collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders to support a resilient and competitive tourism corridor along the modern Silk Road. 

Speakers also noted that several factors keep slowing the development of regional tourism. In particular, the border procedures and visa requirements still vary across countries, while service quality remains uneven in some destinations. Panel speakers also stressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and pointed to continuing geopolitical uncertainty affecting travel and investments. During the discussion experts emphasized the need for closer regional cooperation – better transport and digital connectivity, stronger support for small businesses, and wider use of digital tools such as online booking and payment systems.    

Notably, the session gathered a high-level group consisting of representatives of the UN Tourism, the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Finance of Mongolia, the private sector and the ASEAN Secretariat. The panelists shared their countries’ experiences and discussed practical measures to expand cross-border tourism itineraries along Silk Road routes. 

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