The hotel industry is one of the rapidly developing fields of the economy of Uzbekistan, growing for 15-20% on an annual basis. The industry has stood firm during the pandemic crisis, but have not fully recovered yet.
However, the pandemic has revealed the major problems of the hotel industry, thus helping to signify and apply the further development of the hotel business in Uzbekistan. We already know that to come out of the crisis requires taking urgent measures now. One of those measures for Uzbekistan would be to cooperate with the experts in the hotel industry of UAE.
There is a new memorandum signed between the State Committee of Uzbekistan for tourism development, the Association of Hoteliers of Uzbekistan and ATECA Holding of UAE. The document is intended on the realization of various initiatives and projects, which are addressed to developing the hotel business in Uzbekistan, as well as improving the service quality and management standards in the country.
Based on the long-term international experience of Michel Noblet, the Chairman of the ACETA Holding and his professional team of experts, important areas of trilateral cooperation have been identified by the parties. The significant areas of improvement would include the following:
- Applying modern technologies and integrated management systems by the accommodation facilities
- Improving the classification and specification systems of the hotels in accordance with the international standards, already at the planning stage of the facilities
- Promoting the investment opportunities of the hotel industry of Uzbekistan abroad, attracting international hotel chains to the country
- Organizing special training and events on upgrading the skills of the specialists working in the hotel business
- Implementing innovational technical solutions that would bring digital transformation into the industry
Today global digitalization is considered as a base of the new Hospitality policy and thanks to the UAE experts Uzbekistan would be able to break new ground of the digital era. Another important cooperation area between the countries would be advisory assistance to Uzbekistan in the hotel industry, to help the country to adapt easily to the new realities of the tourism industry after the pandemic. International leading experience would also help Uzbekistan in meeting the new safety requirements of accommodating the tourists.
Michel Noblet is a world-class expert, engaged in the development of Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts hotel chain and hotel for many years. He was the CEO and Founding Partner of HMH Holding - Hospitality Management Holding (Dubai) during 2003-2013, which operates a network of 53 hotels in the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa).