Richard Matuzevich is still reminiscing about his recent trip to the Republic of Uzbekistan in late November.

"It is an exotic country, and the people are very kind and welcoming," says the 31-year-old from Sigulda, a town in central Latvia.

Matuzevich especially took a shine to the local mosques, music and cuisine－and the meat in particular.

"The architecture is very nice and I like how the food is prepared the way it should be," he says.

The Uzbekistan experience was a perk of his job at the World Tourism Cities Federation based in China's capital, Beijing.

He traveled there for an event hosted by the WTCF to boost tourism cooperation and enhance communications between China and countries in Central Asia, and he was lucky enough to sample a taste of what the country had to offer in his free time there.

"It went very well and the local people went out of their way to help us during our time there," he says.

The WTCF job has enabled Matuzevich to travel to over 40 cities more than in 20 countries－including Morocco, Germany, Russia, India, Finland and the US－since he began working there five years ago.

"My day-to-day duties include working with member cities to set up training programs, organize forums and providing information about the tourism industry and the latest trends. We also share case studies and other current working practices among the member cities, such as in new developments in smart tourism," he says.