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Uzbekistan: Tourist business in Uzbekistan: Great potential for the region

29/08/2015 14:26

Last year it was marked by a serious emphasis on the expansion of the national tourist routes. This is evidenced, in particular, have already started implementation of the Program of development of tourism in the years 2013-2015, approved by the relevant decision of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

A few years ago in a season Khiva only 18-20 thousand tourists visited. Today the number of the level reached to almost 50 thousand. And this is not the limit, because of forecasts of international tourist organizations by the end of this year, the flow of tourists in the Khorezm increase by another 20 percent.

The current reform of the tourism market in the region will allow to achieve the main goal - to keep foreign tourists, they form a totally new vision of the rest of Uzbekistan as a whole. Already gaining popularity kind of tour of the achievements of the country in the years of independence, as well as the tourism industry - the foreign guests would not mind not just watch the production process, but also to have lunch with the workers in the corporate dining room. There were the first cyclists on four new cycling routes, including the historic part of Khiva.

In the near future in the region are expected to two significant events. On the agenda are issues about the opening of the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the revival of the tourist information offices. The first such office was opened in the country in 2003, in Khiva "Ichan-Kala."

The opening of the consulate will be particularly important in the first place for local tour operators. Now because of the removal of the external political agency they actually eliminated from the competition with metropolitan tour agencies. Travel expenses for a trip to the Consular Department of the Foreign Ministry in Tashkent, for example, to process foreign tourist invitation eventually cost a round sum.

Slightly more than a dozen travel agencies in the entire region, of course, not a lot, but it is. According to the head of the Khorezm regional governance NC "Uzbektourism" Adylbek Rakhimov, a pattern of interest in the market of tour operators in the region, and thus the prospects for its development of the analysis clearly demonstrated the participation of local companies in the tourism fair in France. On average, 80 percent of the total number of potential customers who visited their stands, made proposals on cooperation. "There are many places where it is possible and necessary to do business" - as a French businessman explained his desire to invest in the creation of tourist facilities in Urgench.

Tourist information offices in the region is only two - in "Ichan-Kala" and the new building of the International airport "Urgench".

- If the part of the relevant authorities will decide on the need to create a ubiquitous tourist information offices, the region will benefit not only due to the fact that the tour will provide all the comforts of planning and adjusting their route, but first and foremost will give a powerful impetus to further involvement in the mass the service sector of the private sector, - says Adylbek Rakhimov. - Information offices provide stability of income different participants of the tourism market. In turn - new jobs. Information and advertising - the main factors of development of tourism.

Several dozens of new hotels, the reconstruction of nearly 30 historical and architectural sites, the modernization of communications and transport infrastructure, construction of new routes - just a few lines of program is extremely volume and content, and the effect is expected in two years.  An important task of the regional tourist reforms - understanding the mechanisms of the modern tourism industry - is solved.

Last year, in the Khorezm Regional Department NC "Uzbektourism" received more than a dozen letters with a proposal to include the author's business projects in the tourism development program - the construction of a mini-camping, opening of the tourist bus route and much more. The cooperation of representatives of tourist agencies with rural entrepreneurs, meaningful dialogue about how you can make in the field of tourism in the local climatic conditions and infrastructure provide the first, but very convincing results. And that's just the beginning.