As part of the state tourism policies of the SCO member states to enhance international relations in the field of tourism following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the first SCO International Tourism Forum, titled “Tourism Unites the Silk Road Countries: Dialogue of Professionals,” was held in December 2023. The forum was initiated by Russia and involved active participation from the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, as well as the tourism ministries of other countries. It took the form of a hybrid, one-day conference with offline studios in Moscow (Russia), Beijing (China), and Samarkand (Uzbekistan).

The co-organizers of the Forum, with the participation and support of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), were the Russian Association for International Cooperation in Tourism World Without Borders, the Chinese Association of Tourism Services (CATS), Samarkand International University Silk Road, and the platform wtchat.travel (the management company is a resident of Uzbekistan), which served as the technical operator of the event. The platform’s international team also assumed the duties of the Forum’s secretariat, coordinating its topics, speakers, and other organizational matters.

The 2023 Forum showcased the wide scope of important issues of mutual interest between the tourism industry and the governing bodies of SCO member states. It also demonstrated the convenience of holding the event in a hybrid format, combining live presentations in offline studios with online participation, allowing speakers and audiences from any country to connect seamlessly. The 2023 Forum was attended by representatives from all SCO member states.

During Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the SCO in 2024, the heads of tourism ministries of the SCO member states, at an inter-ministerial meeting, consolidated the holding of this event within the “Joint Action Plan,” which is updated annually. As a result, the Forum received a permanent position in the SCO’s annual schedule. The active role of tourism agencies in supporting the Forum was confirmed to strengthen the SCO’s common tourism space, develop inbound tourism within SCO countries, promote tourism between SCO member states, advance digitalization and new technologies in the tourism industry, and support investors and tourism enterprises operating in SCO and partner countries, thereby facilitating the implementation of joint international projects.

On December 17 and 18, 2024, the second Forum was held over two days and consisted of four sessions. The event was attended by representatives from all 10 SCO member states and several dialogue partner countries. The Forum reaffirmed its key role and great importance in strengthening business dialogue and mutual understanding among the tourism industry, destination management organizations, and tourism authorities. More than 30 speakers from 14 countries and about 500 online participants engaged in discussions on various topics and issues of the Forum.

Following the results of the 2024 event, important initiatives and constructive proposals were formulated aimed at forming joint projects in various fields of interest, as well as creating a permanent business network space to simplify communications in order to find potential partners in different countries. The Forum participants also called for more frequent joint sessions under a single Forum brand. It was also proposed to agree on the basic principles and rules for building long-term and permanent project cooperation in key areas between the organizations of the SCO geographical countries under the coordination and under the auspices of the tourism authorities, for which the tourism associations of the SCO countries were invited to discuss a draft framework agreement capable of uniting an international professional audience. As part of the strategy to strengthen cooperation between the SCO and the ASEAN association, it is proposed to extend the instruments of cooperation in tourism to the combined geography of the SCO + ASEAN, which corresponds to the historical, cultural, and tourist unified brand of the “continental” and “maritime” sections of the Silk Road.

In the period following the 2024 Forum, several meetings and round tables were held to develop the formed initiatives, including, in March 2025, a hybrid discussion in Beijing with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, travel associations and businesses from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, the SCO Secretariat and the Beijing Department of Culture and Tourism, on prospects for a framework agreement and the organization of project activities. The readiness of the text of the framework agreement for the accession of SCO organizations and enterprises was announced at the First International Tourism Business Conference organized by the Chinese Association of Tourism Services on October 18–19, 2025 in China. As part of a special ceremony during the main business Forum of this event, the Chairman of CATS, Mr. Du Xianzhong, and the representative of the international co-organizer of the conference, the Association for International Cooperation in Tourism World Without Borders, Honorary President Ivan Vvedenski, were the first to sign the agreed text.

On July 7, 2025, a regular meeting of the heads of tourism administrations of SCO member states was held in Qingdao, China. During the meeting, the parties reviewed and updated their priorities and plans for the upcoming year. Particular emphasis was placed on the significant role of the International Forum of SCO Member and Partner Countries “Tourism unites the Silk Road countries. Dialogue of professionals”. The Republic of Kyrgyzstan will assume the chairmanship of the SCO for the period 2025–2026, during which it aims to further develop its tourism sector. It is anticipated that, under Kyrgyzstan’s presidency, the Forum will undergo significant new developments in the upcoming year. By decision of the Organizing Committee and in accordance with the proposals of its participants, the Forum will be conducted through sessions held at different times throughout the year, as soon as the co-organizers are prepared to host them. This approach will enable better management of the increasing number of topics and issues of mutual interest.

Traditionally, one of the sessions of the Forum is held in December. It is co-organized by the Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau. The session, named the “Saint Petersburg Session,” is a part of the city’s main 3-day annual event in the field of tourism, organized by the city authorities.

Due to the significant results of the PRC’s chairmanship in the SCO and the growing interest of the Russian audience in developing tourism with China, the session will focus on strengthening relations and project activities with China. The session will also include an online meeting with a new partner in the SCO family, the Laos People’s Democratic Republic, which is already the second country from the ASEAN block to join. The discussion with this new partner will be dedicated to expanding SCO–ASEAN cooperation as a united space for Silk Road tourism.

Additionally, participants will continue discussions on cooperation and project activities within the framework of the agreement initiated at the CATS Conference in October this year.

During the session, a ceremony is planned to present St. Petersburg with a commemorative sign and a certificate of membership in the International Alliance of Silk Road Cities (ITASRC), to which the city was admitted at the Alliance’s annual summit in September 2025.