Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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republics, the governmental bodies responsible for tourism development and participation in
the Silk Road project were transformed over a period of 25 years. In Kazakhstan, the tourism
body was a department of tourism, which was a part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and
Development until 2016. At the end of 2016, the tourism body was transferred to the Ministry
of Culture and Sports. The present Kazakh Tourism National Company JSC was established in
2017. Both entities are primarily responsible for policy development and legislation initiatives.
Kazakh Tourism promotes Kazakhstan as a tourist destination and co-invests in large
investment projects while helping with product development. 401
The former Uzbektourism played a vital role in the establishment of the Silk Road Programme.
In 1995, a special decree from the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, set in motion the
Silk Road initiative in Uzbekistan. The President’s message declared Uzbekistan as a Silk Road
country and positioned its tourism product accordingly. In a UNWTO assembly on the Silk Road
in the mid-1990s, Uzbektourism also played an important role on behalf of the Uzbeki
government.402 In that initial stage, it was the most active authority among all five of the Central
Asian countries in promoting the Silk Road brand to travelers. It also played a leadership role
for other countries like Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan to join this
initiative. 403 The current entity of GosComTourism was established in late 2016, on the
foundation of Uzbektourism, and with the same functions of supporting and developing the Silk
Road Programme in the country.
Before 2019, the state-owned enterprise, Kyrgyz Tourism, was a department under the
Ministry of Culture, established in Kyrgyzstan, and aimed to support an old-fashioned Soviet
recreation infrastructure (mainly on Issyk-Kul lake) and restore and organize further
protection for historical sites like Burana Tower and three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The role of local DMOs in promoting the Silk Road brand and concept should not be
underestimated. According to interview partners, the professional DMOs of Uzbekistan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan were early adopters and pioneers for promoting the Silk Road
Corridor, and it is due to their efforts that the Silk Road tourism brand became popular among
travelers in the Western world. The tourism authorities in Central Asian countries then joined
[at different times] the DMOs’ efforts. It is noticeable that in the early stages, it was Uzbeko
DMOs that started this business and spread it to neighboring countries.404 Now, DMOs widely
use the Silk Road concept as a marketing tool, pushing their countries as part of the Silk Road
and also use the notion in content development. The website, Silk Road Explore, a provider of
tours around Silk Road countries, is one such initiative. 405
Three firms interviewed for this case study indicated that the mid-sized and larger-sized DMOs
(such as Silk Road Destinations, Caravanistan) in each country are the ones ordinarily
promoting the Silk Road through international travel fairs, web-content creation, online and
offline sales and the organization of Silk Road tours. Some participate in different working
groups and projects, as well. For instance, there is a working group in Silk Road Tourism
Development run by the Turkic Council, which some of the tour operators are part of. 406
401 Interview with Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism
402 Interview with Head of the Department of Scientific Research and Work with Educational Institutions of GosComTourism
403 Interview with Director of Silk Road Destinations DMO
404 Ibid.
405 Interview with Deputy Director of Sun House Team DMO
406 Interview with Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism