When Zulya Rajabova encountered her first tourist as a child in Uzbekistan, she became fascinated with foreign languages and cultures. That passion then sparked a desire to convey her own culture to others by showcasing the rich traditions of Central Asia. Her New Jersey-based tour agency Silk Road Treasure Tours provides individualized, hassle-free travel to Central Asia.
“Since 1994, I have wanted to share my passion of my culture with others,” says the native of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Rajabova recalls being fascinated by the intriguing history, improbable culture and remarkable natural wonders of the Great Silk Road region. Before moving to the US, she worked as a translator and tour guide in Uzbekistan. In 2008, she founded an American company to enabling American tourists to experience her native culture in comfort.
Condé Nast Traveler’s has repeatedly recognized Rajabova as a Top Travel Specialist for Central Asia. She has lectured at Columbia University, the United Nations, the American Museum of Natural History.
Founding Silk Road Treasure Tours
Silk Road Treasure Tours began as a seed in Rajabova’s mind as a child in Uzbekistan. When the young girl met a tourist for the first time and heard her first English “Hello,” she was hooked on foreign languages and cultures. She learned to speak fluent German, Russian, English, Uzbek, and Farsi.
Given her linguistic talent, Rajabova began teaching languages. Eager for more action, she moved on to a position as a tour guide at the Uzbek Tourism Ministry. This enabled her to show her home to foreign officials, photographers, even global leaders like Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright.
In 2005, Rajabova married Lonnie Moss, a US native. A few years later, she and her husband moved to Chester, New Jersey, and founded Silk Road Treasure Tours.
Zulya Rajabova Focuses on Customer Care
At Silk Road Treasure Tours, Rajabova curates each experience to the individual client. This can include meetings with local businesses, medical professionals, and artists. She also sets clients up with behind-the-scenes tours, festivals, shopping, and sporting events. Her corps of multilingual, licensed tour guides brings a deep network of connections to local specialists.
Rajabova’s goal is to inspire people to travel to her homeland in the heart of Central Asia, as well as to neighboring Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and other destinations along the ancient Silk Road. Through these tours, her clients can learn about the diverse culture of that region firsthand – and how the Silk Road transformed world history.
Part of Rajabova’s service is helping visitors avoid the headaches and pitfalls of foreign travel. To this end, she assists with smooth border crossings and transportation connections, visa services, and foreign currency and exchange. Before clients’ departures, she thoroughly reviews itineraries and activities with them.
Rave Reviews for Zulya Rajabova
Rajabova’s exceptional attention to detail has helped elevate her profile as a world-class tour provider. Her customer-oriented business model has secured her many loyal customers. “We have a 60 percent client return rate, and we also receive a lot of new clients from our present ones,” Rajabova explains.
“Zulya provides something rare, among even top travel agents: a true partnership,” raves one satisfied customer. “Through every step of planning my family’s trip to The Republic of Georgia, she made sure that she was meeting our travel needs and goals. Georgia is not flooded with obvious tourist attractions, so we received a well-rounded itinerary that allowed us to experience its natural wonders and connect with the culture”.
To learn more about what wowed Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and hundreds of other travelers, visit Rajabova’s Silk Road Treasure Tours website.
