Visit Uzbekistan magazine has invited British-American travel writer Megan Eaves to become its Managing Editor and serve as the magazine’s international development advisor. The first edition with her participation was Issue 26, a special issue dedicated to Bukhara.
Megan formerly served as North and Central Asia Editor at travel publisher Lonely Planet and she is a regular writer and spokesperson for CNN, BBC, The Independent, Culture Trip and many others. During her 15 years as a travel writer, she has contributed to more than 60 books and is regarded as a world-class specialist on travel and tourism. She holds a Master’s degree from Dublin City University, and has travelled and lived around the world from China to the Czech Republic and is now based in London.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to join Visit Uzbekistan at this critical time in the history of tourism,” says Megan. “Joining an international team during a pandemic was always going to be a challenge, but I’m finding my feet and grateful for the support and inspiration of my colleagues in Tashkent and the UK. Visit Uzbekistan has already achieved a lot, having published 26 issues in 14 languages in its first three years, and has developed a strong reputation. Uzbekistan is an absolutely amazing country – one of my favourite places in the world – and we plan to showcase its diversity and beauty to an international audience.”
The launch of the special issue took place at an event in Bukhara organised by the Visit Uzbekistan Partnership business club in collaboration with of the Bukhara province Governor’s Office, Department of Cultural Heritage and partners. Expats community in Uzbekistan had joined the two-day trip, which offered guests a dive into incredible cultural experiences of Bukhara city.
Among the activities were a view of Suzani and Textile private collection of Akbar Kharimov, a contemporary art exhibition at the Art Residence, a project by the Bonum Factum Gallery and the Swiss Cooperation Office; an exhibition of miniatures by Davlat Toshev at the Usto-Shogird art school; a master class in cooking Bukhara style plov; visits to Bukhara Cotton Textile Cluster. The presentation of a special Bukhara edition of Visit Uzbekistan took place at the roof-top with a spectacular view at Kalon Minaret with a fashion show by Tashkent and Bukhara designers and craftsmen.Since the establishment of the Visit Uzbekistan Partnership, eight special presentations have been held, including in Singapore, London, Delhi, Tashkent and Bukhara.
“2020 has become a creative year for us,” says Dinara Dultayeva, founder of the magazine. “The pandemic pushed us to develop digital solutions and expand international cooperation. We did not stop, despite the apparent slowdown in the industry, but continued our creative endowments. When Spanish publishers and the public in Uzbekistan noticed our 'quarantine cover' trending among global magazines, it inspired us to make each next issue extraordinary.”
In 2020, the magazine ran a series of special issues dedicated to domestic travel destinations in Uzbekistan, starting with the 25th issue, themed on Tashkent. It featured creative personalities and the people behind a number of innovative businesses around the capital.
