UNWTO Silk Road Task Force to meet at Routes Silk Road

Manchester, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

Routes and UNWTO to strengthen its partnership in Georgia

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will be holding its Silk
Road Task Force meeting during this year's Routes Silk Road event
which will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia on 6-8 July.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140331/678619 )

This announcement comes soon after an agreement was reached at ITB
in Berlin between Routes (part of UBM live) and UNWTO to work
together in advancing matters related to air connectivity and travel
facilitation.

"UNWTO's joint research with WTTC clearly demonstrates the impact
that visa facilitation can have on economic growth and job creation.
Routes Silk Road 2014 is an excellent initiative that will surely
help address the travel facilitation challenges along this tourism
route and we are thus very happy to hold the UNWTO Silk Road Task
Force meeting alongside Routes. Moreover, with its forward-thinking
approach to visas and its open skies policy, Georgia is an ideal
destination to host such an event, and I must congratulate Georgia
for winning the bid. UNWTO looks forward to working together with
Routes and Georgia to make this edition the best yet", said Taleb
Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General.

"Following the announcement of our partnership we are thrilled
that UNWTO has decided to hold its Silk Road Task Force meeting at
our event in July," said Katie Bland, Director Routes, UBM Live
continuing: "Routes Silk Road will be held in Georgia which is a
gateway connecting several important economic regions including
Europe, the New Independent States (NIS) and Central Asia and as such
it is the ideal location for Routes Silk Road and the UNWTO Silk Road
Task Force. Holding this important meeting alongside our own event
will further strengthen our partnership and we are excited about the
opportunities this provides Routes."

The UNWTO Silk Road Task Force meeting brings together key
representatives from Silk Road destinations, United Nations agencies,
the private sector and associations to discuss and plan priorities
for tourism development along this ancient route. The meeting aims to
raise the profile of tourism along the Silk Road and drive
sustainable and responsible tourism development by enhancing
cooperation between the countries along the Silk Road.

Routes Silk Road, which will be hosted by United Airports of
Georgia (UAG) under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and
Sustainable Development, is the route development forum that connects
CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Notes to Editors

About Routes

- Routes organises world-renowned airline and airport networking events
through its regional and global Route Development Forums. Each year, there is one
global event and one regional event in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and CIS
respectively. http://www.routesonline.com

- Routes was founded in 1995 as part of the Manchester UK-based ASM Ltd.,
a consultancy specialising in the field of route development for airports.
http://www.asm-global.com [http://www.asm%E2%80%90global.com ]. Routes and ASM are
part of the UBM Live division of UBM plc.

- UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across
five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote
their brands and expand their markets. Through premiere brands such as MD&M, CPhI,
IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show, the Routes portfolio of
events, Airport Cities and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards
programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an
integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry
sectors. http://www.ubmlive.com

Follow us on twitter: @Routesonline, @TheHUBRoutes,
@VictoriaRoutes, @NLPROU, @airlineroute

About UBM plc

- UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications
company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers
together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and
specialist content. Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into
expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do
business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.
- For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com [natasha.peck@routesonline.com
]; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc [http://twitter.com/UBM_plc ] to get the latest
UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news from all UBM's businesses; follow @UBM for a
flavour of UBM from selected members of UBM's Twitterati.

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140331/678619

ots Originaltext: UBM Live Routes Ltd
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Contact:
For further press information please contact:
Victoria Jones, PR Executive, Routes, T: +44 (0) 161 234 2730,
E: pr@routesonline.com