Member cities of Silk Road tourism alliance gather in Istanbul to deepen cooperation

Representatives of members of the International Tourism Alliance of Silk Road Cities gathered in Türkiye's Istanbul on Friday to deepen cooperation and exchange in the sector of tourism.

Discussions at the meeting focused on deepening dialogues among civilizations, promoting tourism cooperation, and carrying forward the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

"The Silk Road is a route from history to the future. I believe that the Silk Road initiative through the various cities that are now coming together is a very important tourism brand," said Frank Fahey, former Minister of State for Tourism, Transport and Communications of Ireland, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on the sidelines of the meeting.

Participates pointed out that the Silk Road spirit resonates stronger in today's world that faces a headwind of de-globalization.

"Now what we are doing here is building a thread of, I'd say hope, I would say imagination of redrawing the way we see the world through history, through our history," said Vinicius Rene Lummertz Silva, former Minister of Tourism of Brazil.

An exhibition was also held on the sidelines of the event for businesses from various countries to present their high-quality cultural and tourism resources and to talk in-person with one another.

"Our original intention of establishing the alliance is to attract more foreign tourists to China, and in the meantime, we've deeply felt the eager hope of many countries that Chinese tourists could travel overseas to bring them more economic benefits. So within the framework of our alliance, we are supporting and promoting each other," said Wan Ting, deputy director of the Network of International Culturalink Entities, the secretariat of the alliance.

Established in October 2023, the alliance partners with renowned tourism cities globally to promote sustainable tourism development on the Silk Road.

So far, a total of 63 cities from 28 countries, including Istanbul, have joined the alliance.

Member cities of Silk Road tourism alliance gather in Istanbul to deepen cooperation

Kazakhstan is making a strategic move to bolster its regional connectivity by ramping up development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or the Middle Corridor, a major trading route which runs all the way from China to Europe.

As a vital node along the Belt and Road Initiative, the Middle Corridor traverses across Kazakhstan, providing an alternative to the traditional northern routes running through Russia. This corridor combines road, rail, and maritime infrastructure to facilitate the efficient movement of goods between the world's major economic hubs.

The transport route begins in China's eastern Lianyungang Port and passes through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and on to Europe and Africa, making it a key connector between countries and continents.

Kazakhstan sees the construction of the corridor as a priority as it is one of the countries where the rail and maritime route must pass, offering the shortest land trading link between China and Europe.

Gaidar Abdikerimov, secretary general of the TITR association in the Kazakh capital Astana recently returned from a trip China, where he was busy promoting the benefits Middle Corridor to local clients.

"The Middle Corridor is especially unique due to its multi-modality. We can deliver cargo in 14 to 18 days from China to the borders of Europe, and this is our main advantage," he said.

Last year, a total of 2.8 million tons of cargo traveled across the Middle Corridor, representing a year-on-year increase of 64 percent, highlighting the growing importance of this route.

Eleven nations are currently members of the TITR association, but Abdikerimov says new applications are being received.

He said that in order to fully release the full potential of the corridor, more infrastructure will be built in the future to help facilitate trade along this key cross-continental trading route.

"Step by step we are expanding our capacity, and our expectations are very big because the geopolitical situation is changing constantly, and the route must work regardless of these circumstances," he said.

Kazakhstan pushes forward with development of "Middle Corridor" trading route