New Publication On Silk Road Tourism www.thegreatsilkroad.com "Tourism Pearls of the Silk Road" is the title of the first UNWTO inventory of tourism resources of the countries located along the ancient trans-Asia trade route.
Today the countries of the Silk Road region actively cooperate in the area of politics, diplomacy, economics and culture. High on this list is international tourism - the sector which possesses a huge potential for stimulating socio-economic progress of the developing countries. "Tourism Pearls of the Silk Road" detailed inventory of tourism product resources of the region has become one of the components and an important step toward implementation of the Silk Road Regional Programme (SRRP) – a joint initiative between UNDP and the governments of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. .
This richly illustrated inventory demonstrates the wide variety and quality of tourism resources of the Silk Road Regional Programme countries.
The inventory is structured in such a way as to give a brief introduction to the country; a description of its tourism resources including its natural tourism resources, the monuments of its cultural and historical heritage, arts and handicrafts, and cuisine; accessibility to the country; information on tourist services and facilities; latest tourism statistics of the country.
The pages featuring China contain information on tourism resources of those provinces of the country which make part of the Silk Road region: Gansu Province, with its world biggest treasury of Buddhist art of various epochs; Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region famous for its pagodas and "Museum of the Great Wall"; Shaanxi Province with its scenic mountains and magnificent Hukou Waterfall; Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region – the set-out of the Great Silk Road and an amazing land of snow-covered mountain tops and torrid deserts, of striking cultural environment formed by the traditions of numerous ethnic groups.
Section "Kazakhstan" presents the treasures of Kazakhstan nature: numerous nature reserves and national parks, including a UNESCO biosphere reserve Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve,
Section "Kyrgyzstan" provides the description of the most remarkable nature attractions of this stunning country with abundance of snow-capped mountains and beautiful lakes among which the most distinguished is Issyk-Kul Lake, a number of ancient towns which throughout centuries used to provide shelter to numerous caravans traveling along the Great Silk Road.
The next section of the manual introduces the reader to tourism resources of Tajikistan – a country still to be discovered by tourists. Tajikistan is first of all the home of the Pamirs, the highest mountains in the region, of abundant mountain lakes, of rich history and unique culture.
And, at last the publication presents Uzbekistan – the land where scenic natural sites make a perfect match to the splendour of world-known historical and architectural monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Tashkent – the real gems on the Great Silk Road.
UNWTO recommends the "Tourism Pearls of the Silk Road" inventory as a manual for elaboration of regional programmes on tourism development in the countries involved. It is pertinent to mention that though the inventory is not an exhaustive one, it represents the major tourist attractions and resources of the region. In this respect it will certainly play a significant role in promotion of "The Silk Road" tourism product in the international tourist market. | 
