Professor Zou Tongqian was appointed Co-chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Heritage Tourism along the Silk Roads

Since the end of 2022, the team led by Zou Tongqian, Vice-Rector of Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage (Uzbekistan) has successfully applied to establish UNESCO Sustainable Heritage Tourism on the Silk Road in Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage after more than a year of hard work. On 19 February 2024, Director-General of UNESCO Azoulay signed the agreement on launching the chair of UNESCO “Sustainable Heritage Tourism along the Silk Roads” at Silk Road International University. The purpose of the establishment of this department is to strengthen the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and cultural monuments in Central Asia, to improve its digitalization and wide usage of digitalization in the field of tourism. In Uzbekistan, attention will also be paid to the development of tourism villages and tourism, poverty reduction, women's empowerment and close cooperation with other UNESCO departments.

Professor Zou Tongqian was appointed as the co- Chairholder, responsible for the daily operation, primarily related to academic activities, and has already cooperated with many countries along the Silk Road. In recent years, Beijing International Studies University and Silk Road University have agreed on co-building teaching chairs at the China-Uzbekistan Education Forum. The platform will integrate Silk Road Research Institute, Journal of Silk Road Tourism Research, the Silk Road Tourism Theme Office of the World Tourism Organization, Samarkand Tourism Institute of the Silk Road, the Press of Silk Road International University, and other platforms for academic research, forum exchanges, seminars and training and scholarly publishing.

The chair was initiated by Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, with the participation of institutions from 11 countries along the Silk Road, including Beijing International Studies University, UNESCO Institute for Central Asian Studies, Tajik University of Tourism and Hospitality, NorthWest University and Sun Yat-sen University.