As part of the preparations to celebrate Khiva as the OIC City of Tourism for 2024, SESRIC, in collaboration with the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, organized a Training Course on “Halal Tourism and Muslim-Friendly Hospitality Services”, on 08-12 January 2024, through an online video conferencing platform.

The training programme, which was also organized within the framework of SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB), was designed to strengthen both individual and institutional capacities, promote the sharing of best practices, and enhance the quality of services in the Halal tourism sector. It utilized Malaysia’s successful model for the development and implementation of Halal tourism standards.

Competent experts and trainers from the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) provided the training for the benefit of 109 participants from the State Committee for Tourism Development in Uzbekistan.

Participants had the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge that can be applied within their organizations, including the implementation of hotel services, Ziyarah etiquette and procedures, adhering to ethical requirements for personnel, and maintaining food standards for Muslim tourists within the catering services of the tourism industry. This knowledge will assist them in establishing Halal conditions and improving the quality of services for Muslim tourists.

SESRIC developed and initiated its Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB) in 2015. The Programme aims to to support and contribute to the efforts of the OIC Member Countries towards strengthening institutional and human resources capacities by sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices among the Ministries and relevant national institutions in charge of tourism. Within this framework of this Programme, the Centre organizes capacity-building activities by using various modalities such as training courses, training workshops, and study visits. For more information on SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB), please visit: https://www.sesric.org/cbp-oic-tourism.php