LocationsTourism Development for a Sustainable Future: The "Salam, Osh!" Festival Brings Together Participants from Central Asia
June 3, 2025
At the "Salam, Osh!" festival
Osh, 3 June 2025 — Today, the II International Tourism Festival "Salam, Osh!" opened in Osh. It became a dialogue platform for exchanging experiences and developing sustainable tourism with the participation of representatives of the tourism sector, local authorities and international partners.
The Osh region is a region where trade routes have intersected since ancient times, where many languages and cultural traditions intertwine. The sacred mountain Sulaiman-Too rises here, at the foot of which the history of the city of Osh, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, has developed for more than three thousand years. These unique assets open up enormous potential for the development of historical and cultural tourism in the region.
The Pamir-Alai Range gives the Osh region a unique natural diversity, creating significant potential for tourism development. Today, tourism acts as a bridge connecting the cultural diversity and economic opportunities of the region, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Holding the "Salam, Osh!" festival – part of the investment in the development of Kyrgyzstan through supporting local initiatives, expanding access to markets and strengthening regional cooperation.
UNDP Kyrgyzstan became a partner of the event as part of its work on tourism development and supporting national partners in the Osh region in implementing the Sustainable Tourism Development Program for 2024–2028.
The partners included the Osh City Hall, the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Osh Regional Committee for Tourism Development and the Association of Tourism Organizations of the City of Osh.
The festival included an international exhibition-fair and tourism forum “In the Footsteps of Nomads”. The exhibition presented handicrafts and tourism goods, national cuisine and cultural elements with the participation of representatives of organizations from Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The prospects for ecotourism and the development of new routes based on the cultural and natural heritage of southern Kyrgyzstan were discussed. A video presentation of the tourism potential of the Osh region, prepared with the support of UNDP in Kyrgyzstan, was also presented.
In her speech, Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative, noted the successful cooperation of UNDP with the Osh region: "Thanks to joint efforts, the investment climate was strengthened through the Business Development Council, export sectors (honey, tourism, crafts) were supported, new jobs were created, especially for women and youth."
Alexandra Solovieva during her opening speech
In addition, initiatives to protect the environment and sustainability were implemented - the Chon-Alai Nature Park was opened, the emergency response system was modernized. The Open Osh digital platform increased management transparency, and the women's creative laboratory became a new impetus for women's entrepreneurship.
UNDP will continue to cooperate with government and public partners so that tourism contributes to economic growth, job creation and sustainable use of natural resources.
The "Salam, Osh!" festival was held with the support of the UNDP project "Strengthening Capacities of Institutions and Border Communities of Kyrgyzstan for Increased Cooperation with Uzbekistan" with financial support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
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