A videoconference chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was held to discuss enhancing the tourism potential of Uzbekistanʼs regions and accelerating investment projects carried out in cooperation with foreign partners.

During the meeting, it was noted that a major tourism agreement with Mongolia last year resulted in a sharp increase in tourist arrivals from 100–200 to 4,000.

Approximately three million residents of the Gulf countries travel regularly. However, the majority choose visa-free destinations such as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Albania, and Croatia.

“Indeed, these countries offer a 10-day visa-free regime. But if this period were extended to 30 days, the number of tourists could grow five to six times,” President Mirziyoyev stated. He added that simplifying visa procedures for travelers from India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Iran could also be beneficial.

Targeted cooperation with regions of Russia and China led to a sharp increase in investment and tourist flows. The President instructed officials to expand this approach to Japan, South Korea, and European countries.

To further develop the sector, instructions were given to expedite the launch of a unified national tourism platform that would offer services such as ticket booking and electronic visa issuance.

Efforts have already begun to attract 100,000 pilgrims from Malaysia and Indonesia under the “Umrah Plus” program. Relevant agencies have been instructed to expedite negotiations on launching flights from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to Jeddah via Samarkand and Bukhara.

As a result of increased attention to domestic tourism in recent years, the number of local tourists has grown to 23 million — up from just 5 million in 2017.

However, many families still have not visited historic cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Shakhrisabz. To encourage domestic travel, it was decided that one weekend each month — specifically, Saturdays and Sundays — would be designated as “Family and Workplace Travel Days.”

In addition, winners of youth competitions will be awarded travel vouchers for trips across Uzbekistan.

To support these efforts, 20 billion UZS will be allocated each year to expand domestic tourism promotion.

The President also instructed officials to develop a comprehensive action plan for the advancement of extreme tourism in the country.