For owners of family guest houses who are taking the «first steps» in the CBT tourism segment, it is necessary to get the necessary skills for effective operation. The European Union project «Strengthening rural and ecotourism through business associations for sustainable economic development in Central Asia», which is successfully implemented by the Association of private tourism agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA), contributes to the full implementation of this task.

On June 10-15, APTA, with the support of the state tourism Committee, organized a seminar «Organizing effective activities of a family guest house» for the owners of family guest houses in Shakhrisabz. The program of the seminar is aimed at strengthening the capacity of participants to organize work and successfully manage rural tourism and guest houses.

The training program was as rich as possible, it also included topics of narrow specialization that are important for the successful operation of guest houses, such as the management of the guest house, etiquette for receiving and serving tourists.

As part of the educational process, much emphasis was placed on practical training. Trainers Kobil Sakiev and Rustambek Raimov widely used innovative teaching tools. The participants of the seminar liked the developed role-playing games, as well as visiting events in existing family guest houses. The participants of the seminar noted that practical training helped them to learn more effectively the information provided by industry experts.