The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Association of Businesswomen “Tadbirkor Ayol” last week hosted the Central Asian Conference on “Women of Central Asia in the Hospitality Business: Current Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent. The event gathered approximately 200 women entrepreneurs, professionals, and industry experts from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic to discuss achievements, trends, and challenges in the region’s hospitality sector, the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan reported.
Edward Michalski, USAID Deputy Mission Director in Uzbekistan, praised the resilience and creativity of women in the hospitality industry, emphasizing their role in the sector’s future. “Investing in women and girls is essential to transforming communities. When women do better, families do better, communities do better, and countries do better.”
Gulnora Makhmudova, Chairwoman of “Tadbirkor Ayol”, noted the growing importance of the hotel business in the region and the increasing involvement of women. This growth has driven the association to launch the project “Women in the Hotel Business: Hospitality from the Future”, aimed at introducing innovations and digitalization in the hospitality sector.
Launched in April 2024 with USAID’s support, the project has trained 115 women in modern hotel management across Tashkent, Andijan, and Samarkand.
The conference focused on service quality, digitalization, and modern standards in tourism, culminating in recommendations to enhance regional cooperation in tourism and hospitality.
