Tourism project “Eight Wonders of SCO” presented in Beijing

Presentation of the tourist project “Eight Wonders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization” was presented in Beijing on June 21 on the sidelines of the event dedicated to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Day.
The event was organized by the SCO Secretariat under the support of the Culture and Tourism Development Company under the Academy of Sciences of China.
More than 600 representatives of political, public and business circles as well as diplomatic corps attended the event.   
Speaking at the event, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, in particular, noted that the “Eight Wonders of SCO” is a unique in its wealth world connecting the Organization member nations.   
The “Eight Wonders of SCO” project has been development by the SCO Secretariat and supported by the SCO member nations.  The project aims to create a common tourist space.
In statement delivered at the SCO summit in Bishkek, Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon noted on June 14 that it is necessary to use huge tourist potential of SCO countries, including observer states and dialogue partners.
“We support the proposal of the SCO Secretariat concerning the tourism project “Eight Wonders of the SCO ", which is keeping with our initiative to declare 2019-2021 the Period of Development of Rural Areas, Tourism and Folk Crafts in Tajikistan,” Emomali Rahmon said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek on June 14 highlighted the need for joint strategy to develop tourism in SCO member states, Pakistan’s Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency reported.
His vision supports a long-awaited desire of tourism stakeholders of Central Asia as well as of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), according to Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency.  Formation of a SCO Tourism Board could be the first step towards achieving targets for a joint tourism industry.  It is believed that at the first stage, Central Asian Republics, those who are members of SCO (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) along with Russia and China can move ahead under the vision of Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan for a joint tourism strategy.
Central Asian states are one of the best possible tourism destinations of the world, and they have played well in the tourism arena during the last 2 decades after independence from the former Soviet Russia.
These countries have everything to offer including ecotourism, natural beauty, hospitable and friendly people, and good services and infrastructure. The impediment for further tourism development in this region is the absence of strong interaction among tourism authorities of all these countries and a friendly visa regime.
Tourism is one of the most effective tools for revenue generation and establishing peace that can be achieved.  Tourism should be considered not only a revenue provider but a harmony and peace generator, according to DND news agency.
The Eight Wonders of the SCO are:

• The Daming Palace (the imperial palace complex of the Tang dynasty) in Xi’an, China.
• The Statue of Unity in Narmada, India;
• Tamgaly Archeological Complex in the Zhetysu, Kazakhstan;
• Issyk-Kul (an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains, Kyrgyzstan;
• Heritage of the Great Moguls in Lahore, Pakistan;
• The Golden Ring in Russia;
• Kokhi Navrouz (Navrouz Palace) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan;
• Po-i-Kalan,  an Islamic religious complex in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.