The Silk Road CBT initiative is a regional project that is implemented through a consortium led by ACTED. The three-year project – ending in January 2023 – collaborate with Business Intermediary Organizations (BIOs) in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The main objectives are to boost investment, private sector development and promote economic diversification, by strengthening the community-based tourism sector. The project is funded by the European Union Central Asia Invest V program with a total budget of 1 281 388 EUR.

Community-based tourism is a community ownership and management approach to tourism, intended to deliver wider social, economic and environmental benefits. It is one of the sectors in Central Asia that has strong potential to contribute to inclusive, sustainable growth and rural development.

The project reinforces the capacities of Community-Based Tourism Associations (CBTA) in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, to provide business development services, marketing and promotion, and advocacy and representation. This includes the development of new training modules; the establishment of training hubs within CBTAs, delivery of trainings to 500+ MSMEs, workshops to identify key advocacy themes and study tours.

Central Asia is home to a wide-range of historical, cultural and natural sites, but many remain unknown to tourists as only a handful of sites have reached international travel itineraries. To promote a more equal distribution of tourists across the region, the project is conducting a comprehensive mapping of the region’s rich and diverse cultural and historical legacy, as well as its natural attractions. Based on this, the project will develop a comprehensive and interactive online destination map, with information on natural, cultural and historical heritage sites, CBT services, and transportation options.

The project furthermore works with microfinance institutions to improve access of Community-Based Tourism to finance for service upgrades and to ensure that MSMEs improved skills for business development necessary to prosper and grow.

The project is assisting microfinance institutions in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in piloting affordable CBT-specific finance products. These products are based on a situation analysis of CBT sector access to finance, which was conducted in 2021.

The project partners - Microfinance Associations in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are working on enhancing the capacity of Community-Based Tourism Associations to provide financial training to MSMEs. Pilot training courses will be rolled out for 300+ MSMEs next year, with a strong focus on women entrepreneurs.

The project also focuses on regional cooperation and the promotion of Central Asia as a regional tourism destination to the European and international tourist market. 

The project aims to ensure an increased demand for the improved CBT products, which is crucial in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on the tourism sector in Central Asia.

Through the promotion and development of regional tourism products - to increase appeal to international tourists - an online B2B platform will be launched to connect CBT products and tour providers across the region. CBTAs will adopt a joint branding and presence at international tourism fairs.

In addition, the project is conducting a “Silk Road Promotion Tour” targeting European tour operators, promoters and bloggers, and working on the development of an online information centre and the further development of the visitcentralasia.org platform.