Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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lot of positive content can be created on that topic. This will give the region more visibility in
international media.504
Kazakh Tourism is using both traditional and digital channels – TV advertising on Euronews,
CNBC, EuroSport, and RBK in Russia and a website with search engine optimization and social
media marketing. They will continue along this path until the country’s name becomes well-
known as a tourist destination (currently, Kazakhstan is mostly known for oil and gas).
Since early 2018, GosComTourism began to invite foreign travel bloggers, and as a result, on
August 22-27, 2019 Tashkent hosted the World Influencers Congress – a unique platform
designed to bring more than 100 world-class digital influencers from 40 countries together to
facilitate the exchange of ideas, techniques, and best practices. The main goals of the congress
were to create a Global Influencers Network, which would unite influencers and leading
thinkers from around the world, and which will meet regularly in the world’s most unique
destinations. This event is an excellent example of “ going viral” – a common internet term. The
number of influencers and subscribers covers more than 150 million people on world social
networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.505
The Measurement of Success. The UNWTO Silk Road Programme measures engagement level
by a) number of countries formally joining the Programme (recently reached 34), b) number of
ministers attending the Annual UNWTO Silk Road Ministers meeting at ITB, c) number of
country representatives participating in the training, d) number of countries participating in
the collaborative initiatives, i.e., marketing and promotional campaigns created by the Silk
Road Programme.506
For GosComTourism, the most important indicator of success is visitor satisfaction. As a
representative of the government of Uzbekistan in the tourism sphere, they are responsible for
monitoring how governmental decisions are implemented and finally work for tourist
satisfaction. There are three levels of problem analysis, the local community level, business
level, and governmental level, and they provide conditions that will be comfortable for every
level. There are also three departments in GosComTourism that are responsible for data
analysis – The Department of Statistics and Analysis, The Department of Tourist Navigation,
and The Department of Marketing Research. 507
Starting this year, Kyrgyzstan will organize the annual national Kyrgyz Tourism Awards. As
part of this, the rating will be compiled to show at what level the different representatives
within the tourism industry conduct their business. Now, they are collecting applications from
companies, and on September 27, International Tourism Day, they will summarize the 17
nominations, including a nomination for the “Person of the Year,” which will be awarded for
the greatest contribution to tourism development. 508
504 Ibid.
505 "World Influencers Congress Launched in Tashkent," UZ Daily, last modified August 23, 2019,
506 Email correspondence with former head of UNWTO Silk Road Programme, Silk Road specialist on sustainable tourism
development
507 Interview with Head of the Department of Scientific Research and Work with Educational Institutions of GosComTourism
508 Interview with Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of
Kyrgyzstan