Uzbekistan Aims to Attract 20 Million Tourists Annually, Focusing on Cultural and Culinary Tourism

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A meeting was held at the Agency for Strategic Reforms with Nik Gilauri, head of the consulting company Reformatics, to discuss the development of Uzbekistan’s Tourism Development Strategy through 2040.

The collaboration with the company’s experts covers key areas of the industry, including the state of the hotel sector and tour operators, transport infrastructure, visa procedures, the tourism potential of regions, and the quality of service.

It was noted that although over 10 million foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan last year, this figure does not reflect the country’s full potential, given its rich historical heritage, picturesque nature, and diverse cultural and culinary offerings. Accordingly, the goal has been set to double tourist arrivals to 20 million annually and attract higher-spending visitors.

The consultants presented a range of recommendations, highlighting five priority segments: cultural-historical tourism, culinary tourism, luxury tourism, as well as entertainment and innovative tourism. Successful development in these areas will require new tourism products, improved service quality, investment attraction, and large-scale international marketing campaigns.

Special attention was given to the segmentation of tourist flows and expanding cooperation with countries that have active outbound tourism. The Director of the Agency for Strategic Reforms emphasized the critical role of transport accessibility, noting the need to increase the number of international flights and develop domestic air routes connecting regions directly, bypassing Tashkent.

Following the meeting, it was agreed to organize trips by Reformatics experts to all regions of the country to study additional tourism potential and prepare concrete proposals for its development. A working group will also be established to draft a presidential decree approving the Tourism Development Strategy through 2040 and submit it to the head of state in November of this year.

In addition, Reformatics’ recommendations regarding reforms planned for implementation in 2026 were discussed.