Tourism in Uzbekistan

Tourism in Uzbekistan

Tashkent State University of Economics

Yu.Ashurova (MEK-76)

Uzbekistan: How is the mysterious Central Asian country trying to entice Western tourists?

• With almost half its landmass covered by desert, remote, mysterious Uzbekistan, a landlocked country of 33 million in Central Asia, is slowly starting to unravel its secrets to Western visitors.
• Among its UNESCO World Heritage recognised towns and cities, the country has some of Central Asia’s most incredible sights along what was the Silk Road, the ancient network of trading routes that linked China with Europe.
• This year marks Uzbekistan’s 30th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, with a calendar of Covid-friendly celebrations taking place in the capital Tashkent as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

• Travelling between these cities is now easier than ever thanks to new high-speed rail links that have reduced the journey time from Tashkent to Bukhara to three hours 40 minutes, two to Samarkand and from 19 to eight to Khiva, a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometres.
• To entice foreign visitors back during the coronavirus pandemic the Uzbek government is offering anyone who catches COVID-19 while on holiday $3,000 (€2,558) to cover medical bills as long as they are travelling as part of a tour group.

Tashkent: The leafy capital with an abundance of culture

• Uzbekistan’s leafy capital Tashkent will be making merry throughout September and beyond.
• With its tree-lined avenues and wonderfully ornate Metro stations, built by the Soviets in the early 1970s, the city of nearly two and a half million people lies on the north-eastern border with Kazakhstan. It was once a major trading post on the Silk Road, the ancient network of trading routes that linked China with Europe.

This year’s Independence Day celebrations in Mustaqillik Maydoni (Independence Square) on 1 September reflected a new Uzbekistan.

• This year’s Independence Day celebrations in Mustaqillik Maydoni (Independence Square) on 1 September reflected a new Uzbekistan.

The country was once closed off to all but the most intrepid travellers, but since the death of hardline President Islam Karimov in 2016, changes are afoot. Gone were the traditional military parades, in their place gala concerts and firework displays.