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Surkhandarya to become a major tourist attraction of Uzbekistan

19 June 2020

Uzbekistan is planning on building 20 hotels, 60 guesthouses, 4 recreation centers and 6 handicraft centers in the Surkandarya region in the next 2 years, as well as starting direct flights from Japan, South Korea, India, China, and Turkey.

During the recent videoconference, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoev specifically emphasized on creating new jobs, improving service quality in the tourism field, organizing trips to ancient cities and tourist attractions.

During the pandemic hardest hit was the tourism sector, not only in Uzbekistan but worldwide. Since the start of implementing quarantine measures to avoid further COVID-19 spread, the President of Uzbekistan has been paying special attention to supporting the tourism industry in the country and its related sectors.

Particularly, significantly effective measures on the gradual recovery of the industry have been identified by the Decree of the President dated 28 May 2020 “On urgent measures on supporting the tourism industry to reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic”.

The videoconference discussions included the perspectives of creating new internal travel routes in Uzbekistan, increasing the number of resorts, expanding the health & wellness tourism in the country.

Surkhandarya Region has great touristic potential, being an oasis with ancient history, culture, and natural heritage.

Under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 27 May 2020 on “Additional measures on effective use and development of the travel potential of Surkhandarya region”, the growth of tourist infrastructure of the region will radically change during 2020-2021.

In the framework of the regional investment program, Uzbekistan is planning on building 20 hotels that would provide more than 1.100 new accommodation units, 4 recreation centers for a total number of 170 beds, and 60 guesthouses with 487 accommodation units overall. 6 handicraft centers will open around the main tourist attractions as well as service points.

Additionally, launching direct international flights from Japan, South Korea, India, China, and Turkey to the international airport of Termez city, as well as organizing internal flights to Samarkand, Bukhara and Fergana cities are planned as a part of the plan.

Negotiations also focused on improving the roads in the region and creating entertainment centers for tourists, such as shopping malls, water-parks, opening new tourist zones in the areas of Surkhandarya that are rich in unique stunning landscapes.

Improving health and recreation tourism is also a part of the project “Golden Triangle”. Taken measures include preparing and training well-qualified specialists in the field, as well as creating new jobs in the travel industry in the region.

The President also mentioned that travel opportunities of the ancient cities of Uzbekistan are not being used to their full potential and even many local people have not seen them so far. Due to the mentioned recommendations of the President, more focus would be made on the organization of interesting trips to historical, cultural, archeological, and pilgrimage areas of the Surkhandarya region, where the effects of the pandemic are mitigating, allowing to be safe for tourists.

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