As Schengen Visa operates in the EU countries, a new “Silk Visa” will be introduced in the Central Asian region. This was reported at the Central Asian Economic Forum.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Industry and Tourism at the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan M. Tulibayev, the technical preparation for introducing this visa has been started. The “Silk Visa” simplifies customs operations, prevents excessive standing in a queue and bureaucracy.

During the forum, the head of the Committee for tourism development of Uzbekistan A. Okkulov made a number of proposals on strengthening the tourist flow.

“We need to intensify activities of public relations and marketing networks to promote tourism in the Central Asian region. It is important to provide complete information to the world community about tourist destinations in the region. The lack of a single system for transport and tourist services is hampering expansion of the industry. For this purpose, we call on neighboring countries to cooperate,” he said.

Mr. Okkulov added that tourism opportunities of Uzbekistan have grown over the past two years. According to him, a visa-free regime has been introduced throughout the country for citizens of 64 countries. The electronic system of visa issuance is also in process. In particular, one-time visa will cost $20, double entry visa – $35 and multiple entry visa – $50.

Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan would launch the Silk Visa order in cooperation with Kazakhstan, which was said to be effective from February 2019.