Tashkent international travel fair “Tourism on the Silk Road” has been organized recently in the Uzbek capital.
Very often tourism becomes hostage to its name’s fascination. Exotic countries, resorts, comfortable hotels and beaches spark in our heads first when we hear this word; yet, under all these beauties are the hundreds of thousands of jobs, a massive infrastructure and incomes comparable with leading industries. Tourism, first of all, is a business, a very keen one. Many countries draft their budgets by paying a close consideration to the travel industry. Uzbekistan is hardly a tyro on this market; it has a lot of what to show to the world.

The nation is sited at the crossroads of cultures; it boasts a unique architecture, craftsmanship and an exquisite cuisine. UT reporters have analyzed how well the country is ready to cash in its tourism potential in today’s realities.
Tourism has long ago become a highly profitable business. Experts say that tourism has transformed from a simple passion for traveling into world’s leading and fastest growing industry. Tourism has already been nicknamed as an economic phenomenon of the century. Today, it is significantly instrumental in the GDP of many nations like the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, China, the United States, France, Switzerland, etc. Simultaneously it carries a mammoth effect on the evolution of key sectors like transport, construction industry, agriculture, communications.
Indeed, tourism has become key factor in the development of regions’ infrastructure, it creates new job places. Therefore, almost all countries of the world are now battling in a fierce competition to attract tourist traffic. They create their unique images and brands, and promote themselves at the global tourism market. Uzbek Association of private tourism organizations held a contest, this year, for the best slogan and logo that will represent Uzbekistan in the world. People of the country voted on the official website of the association. Organizers gave everyone an opportunity to submit their own versions of the slogan that would be strongly associated with our sunny, hospitable country and its rich historical heritage. As a result, nine most popular logos were selected out of sixty images proposed during the contest. The top three slogans out of 110 slogans are: “Oriental Tale”, “Uzbekistan Is the Heart of Central Asia” and “Uzbekistan Is the Heart of Asia. Soul of the East”.
It was decided that a joint national stand of Uzbekistan will promote country’s tourist potential at world’s largest tourism fairs and exhibitions in Berlin, London, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Riga, Rimini, Istanbul and Tokyo. A unified national exhibition “Uzbekistan” is presented in all these exhibitions in order to enhance cooperation, establish new business contacts and to strengthen country’s brand in the world. Visitors are offered, there, with popular tours to ancient cities of Samarqand, Bukhoro and Khiva, which were declared by UNESCO as world cultural heritages. The exhibition also introduces new tourist routes to the Republic of Karakalpakstan and to other regions of the country. There are special presentations called “Welcome to Uzbekistan” that are held in the framework of the exhibition especially for European media and tour operators.
Last year, the Uzbekturizm national company started offering mega-informational tours. These tours give opportunity to representatives of foreign travel agencies, tourism professionals and the media to assess Uzbekistan’s tourist potential as well as to see the level of service provided in the country. Info-tours to Uzbekistan are held four times a year. The program of such visits is interesting and diverse. The route for the info-tourists passes through historical heritages of Uzbekistan, such as citadel of Ichan-Kala, the inner city of Khiva, open-air museum, through the ancient city of Bukhoro with its old squares, trade domes, narrow streets, and via the majestic Samarqand with its impressive portals, madrassahs and mosques. Participants of info-tours can also attend master classes; they are very popular among visitors of Uzbekistan. They can visit silk factories, watch how hereditary masters make pottery in their houses, and even learn how to cook Bukhoro palov and its varieties.

However, the Tashkent International Tourism Fair “Tourism on the Silk Road” (TITF) is still, perhaps, the biggest and the most eye-catching domestic event in tourism sector, for the last eighteen years. This time, the fair has reached a kind of a record, in terms of its exhibition area which exceeded 10,000 square meters and in amount of participants. This year, there are more than 700 companies from over 40 countries.
The fair spread out in three pavilions. Of course, the main focus was on the national tourism product. Thus, “Travel to Uzbekistan” pavilion contained special display booths with companies involved in the development of local tourism industry. TITF has embraced almost all regions of Uzbekistan; all of them presented their tourist routes, and services of tour operators. Main tourist centers of the country – Samarqand, Bukhoro, Khorazm and Karakalpakstan – were depicted at large stands.
By the way, the Zomin reserve in Jizzakh region had its own stand at the fair. For the first time in Uzbekistan, branding and marketing strategy to promote tourism potential of a particular area was developed with assistance of UNDP experts. It has its original logo and slogan in three languages, as well as concrete investment proposals. Results were shown at the last year’s fair.
Medical tourism of the country was presented at the fair for the first time. Sanatoriums and health resorts of the country have presented their services at their own display booths. “Eastern Market” with the section of gastronomic tourism and presentation of national cuisine “City of artisans” was a supplement to the main stand. Here, it was possible not only to see works of folk craftsmen, make a deal, as it should be at a real oriental bazaar, but also to buy favorite thing and personally observe the work of artisans.
Pavilion of international tourism was no less colorful. Judging by the hype around the stands, it was possible to explore what direction is most popular among Uzbek tourists. It is Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, India, China. On the other hand, presence at the fair of Krasnodar region resorts, and of tour agencies from Israel, France and other countries has shown a growing interest to these states, and most importantly, ability of our tourists to travel to these countries. Many foreign tour operators participated at the fair not for the first time. This fact means that TITF gives effective results; it still maintains its status of one of the best platforms for the tourist community in Central Asia.
Welcome to Uzbekistan
Of course, today it is difficult to argue that Uzbekistan meets for one hundred percent all international standards for tourism services. However, it is also difficult to deny that the country follows a robust and a well-planned strategy to improve tourism industry. Late last year, the country has approved the 2011-2012 Program of Targeted Measures to Develop Tourism and Increase the Export Potential of Tour Services in all regions of the country. Its total budget amounted to $385.5 billion soums.
These programs, which in fact is a single comprehensive, specific and detailed action plan for the development of tourism potential in the regions of the country in the near future, was developed by representatives of various ministries and departments of Uzbekistan, NC Uzbekturizm and its regional offices, by expert and tourist business communities. This action plan has a comprehensive and voluminous list of events and actions related and subordinate to one goal. It has specific dates, performers, amounts and sources of funding.
For example, ecotourism infrastructure is now being created near Akcha Kul area in Ellikkala district of Karakalpakstan for lovers of ecotourism. There will also be a new tourist complex and an ethnographic park in the area of Ustyurt in Kungrad district. New routes to a popular tourist destination point – Muynak, a former Aral Sea port, – are now being elaborated. In Bukhoro region, there will be a fishing center for tourists around Lake Devhona in Karaulbazar. There is also Camel Safari program; tourists enjoy an exciting ride on camels.
Today, these measures already bring positive results. During the first half of 2012 the total number of tourists in the country increased by 12.8%, if compared to the same period of last year. Number of foreign tourists rose by 4.1%. Domestic tourism grew 20.7%. The total amount of travel services has increased by 59.8%. Today, there are 865 tourist enterprises in Uzbekistan. The country has many tourist facilities and camping sites. Some 506 tour operators work in Uzbekistan.
Great attention to the development of tourism in the medium term is paid in the 2012-2016 Program of Services Development in Uzbekistan, adopted in May. The volume of tourism services in 2016 is expected to grow 2.3 times, due to activities envisaged in the program.
One of the most important tasks at this stage is to make visas issuing process more prompt and easy. This fact may significantly increase the tourist flow. To solve this problem, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan develops E-Visa – an automated online-system that processes visas applications. Uzbekistan became the ninth country in the world that have implemented such system, along with Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Cambodia, Great Britain, South Korea, the UAE and the USA.
The system of electronic processing of personal data of foreign citizens, who address for visas to diplomatic missions and Consular Department of Uzbek Foreign Ministry, is aimed to improve the efficiency of the consular activity, to strengthen ties between Uzbekistan and foreign countries, deepen contacts with business community, as well as to diversify tourism business in Uzbekistan.
The main advantages of E-Visa is the fact that a foreign citizen may apply for visa to visit Uzbekistan through the Internet from anywhere in the world by providing full personal information. This system eliminates possibility when errors in personal data are made by various intermediary companies dealing with visa issues. E-Visa enables foreign citizens to deal effectively with Uzbek authorities involved in visa process. The system provides secure communication and data storage, which is also important.
Another important task is to create comfortable conditions for tourists in accordance with the latest international standards. Today, there are 359 hotels in Uzbekistan. As part of regional development programs, until the end of 2012, there will be 77 new hotels and similar accommodation facilities. Some of them have already opened their doors to tourists. A five-star hotel under the world-famous brand name of Hyatt is now being built in Tashkent. The construction of the new 294 numbered hotel is scheduled for completion at the end of next year. The total cost of construction is about $113 million. $71 million will be provided by the state budget of Uzbekistan, while the remaining $42 million come from a loan provided by the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper)