At the Global Investment Forum, held as part of the 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly, a discussion was held on the tourism and infrastructure possibilities of the Samarkand region.
Rustam Kabilov, Deputy Hokim of Samarkand region for Tourism, Culture, Cultural Heritage and Mass Communications, reported that more than 700 cultural heritage sites in the region are now becoming a popular destination for tourists. Additionally, gastronomic and cultural tourism, pilgrimage, and ethnotourism are being developed. There are also many opportunities to expand into other forms of tourism, such as extreme tourism, medical, educational, and ecotourism.
R. Kobilov also stated that the region is now home to 162 hotels with 10,612 beds, 81 hostels with 2,131 beds, 350 family guest houses with 3,206 beds, and 257 tour operators and travel agencies. In the past three years, the number of these services has doubled. The “Silk Road Samarkand” Tourist Center has been created to further develop the tourism infrastructure of the city of Samarkand.
The Fifth Freedom of the Air has been implemented at the renovated Samarkand International Airport, which has allowed for the removal of restrictions for foreign airlines. This airport is able to receive 20 flights daily and serve 1.5 million tourists annually. As a result, in 2022, the number of tourists from 152 countries visiting Samarkand increased 11 times compared to the previous five years. The volume of tourism exports exceeded $200 million.
It was reported that there are currently 750 joint and foreign enterprises with the participation of foreign countries operating in the region. By the end of this year, agreements have been reached to attract foreign investment for $1 billion 200 million. It was emphasized that it is possible to increase these indicators several times in all sectors of the economy, particularly in tourism services.
At the Global Investment Forum, agreements worth more than $700 million were signed on further development of tourism and industrial infrastructure in Samarkand region. An agreement was also reached with a travel company in China’s Shaanxi province to expand tourism on the ancient Silk Road.