Uzbekistan develops tourism through new routes and partnerships

Tourism in Uzbekistan is experiencing a period of notable growth. More and more international travelers are choosing the country, and as tourist flows increase, so do opportunities for travel: new routes and tourism products are emerging, while ties with foreign partners are becoming stronger. From January to August 2026, Uzbekistan welcomed 9.1 million foreign tourists — 21.1% more than during the same period last year.

Cooperation with the CIS countries plays an important role in this process. Uzbekistan shares long-standing cultural ties, well-developed transport connections, and sustained mutual interest in travel with these countries. The figures are telling. In the first eight months of 2026, nearly 868,000 tourists from Russia visited Uzbekistan — 30.8% more than a year earlier. As a result, among countries that do not border Uzbekistan, Russia is the largest source of tourists. Growth in tourist flows from Azerbaijan has been even more pronounced: the number of travelers from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan increased by 63.3% compared with the same period last year, reaching 22,000.

These figures are also the result of practical cooperation — from transport links and direct contacts between tourism industry representatives to the promotion of new destinations and travel programs. In March, for example, Uzbekistan presented its tourism potential at MITT-2026, the Moscow International Exhibition of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, where B2B meetings were held with Russian partners, involving more than 200 companies. Air connectivity is also expanding: the Kazan–Tashkent route was launched in 2026, while further expansion of the direct-flight network is under discussion, including routes from Russia to Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, and Fergana.

With Azerbaijan, one of the notable areas of cooperation has been the joint promotion of the two countries' tourism opportunities abroad. In 2025, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan held the European roadshow “Highlights of the Silk Road,” covering Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, and Barcelona. Cooperation is also continuing at the professional level through the participation of tourism industry representatives in specialized events and familiarization tours in both countries.

Uzbekistan has even closer tourism ties with its neighboring states. Here, not only geographical proximity and traditionally high levels of mutual travel play a role. Cooperation is gradually expanding to cover a growing range of practical issues — from the work of tour operators and cross-border tourism to the creation of routes that combine the attractions and opportunities of several territories. Cooperation with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan is developing at the level of relevant government agencies, regions, and tourism businesses. Joint presentations of tourism potential, industry meetings, forums, and familiarization tours are being held, while direct contacts between tour operators are being maintained. In particular, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have prepared a draft tourism cooperation program for 2026–2027.

At the same time, the high level of mutual travel and the experience accumulated through cooperation open up significantly broader opportunities. The potential of existing ties can be used not only to further develop tourism between the countries of the region, but also to jointly attract travelers from other parts of the world.

For a tourist traveling to Central Asia from afar, the opportunity to visit several countries as part of a single trip can be an additional advantage. The cities of the Great Silk Road, pilgrimage centers, natural areas, cuisine, crafts, and traditions of different countries do not necessarily have to compete with one another. Instead, they can complement each other, creating a richer and longer travel experience.

This perspective is reflected in the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to create a “Central Asian Tourism Ring,” put forward this spring at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank in Samarkand.

The head of state noted that Central Asia has significant potential in pilgrimage, cultural, gastronomic, ethnographic, adventure, and medical tourism. In this regard, he proposed creating a tourism space that would bring together the countries of the region.

There is already a foundation for such an approach. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are already developing joint tourism products, including “Silk Road Journeys” and “Journeys to the Natural Attractions of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.” Further proposals include developing combined tours, organizing joint expeditions by tourism companies, and promoting Central Asia as a single tourist destination for visitors from third countries.

There is also progress in other areas, particularly in introducing a simplified border-crossing mechanism between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. This is gradually creating conditions in which traveling across several countries becomes not only an interesting experience for tourists, but also a more convenient one.

The next important task is to turn individual initiatives and routes into a clear and attractive proposition for international travelers. This requires convenient transport connections, easier movement between countries, ready-made combined travel programs, and closer cooperation among tour operators. In this way, the geographical proximity of the countries can become an advantage, allowing Central Asia to be presented as a region where travelers can experience a remarkably diverse range of tourism offerings within a single trip.

In this context, cooperation on multilateral platforms is also gaining particular importance. The upcoming Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS will once again bring regional cooperation issues to the forefront. For the tourism industry, the experience accumulated through cooperation creates an opportunity to move further — from intensive mutual travel and individual joint projects toward more systematic efforts to attract travelers from other parts of the world.

For Uzbekistan, this represents an opportunity to develop its own tourism destinations while also incorporating them into longer journeys across Central Asia. In this format, each country retains its own tourism appeal, while the proximity and diversity of the countries in the region become an additional advantage for international travelers.