Uzbekistan is turning tourism into a full-scale economic transformation project, pairing aggressive visitor growth targets with massive investment in regional infrastructure, new hospitality capacity and modern project management tools that open up fresh opportunities for international business.
New tourism governance and long term vision
A presidential decree of November 2025 created a dedicated Committee for Tourism and set clear strategic targets for the sector through 2030. The state aims to increase the share of tourism in gross domestic product to seven percent, raise annual foreign arrivals to twenty million visitors and push export of tourism services above six billion US dollars. These benchmarks effectively position tourism as one of the key growth engines of the national and regional economy.
In January, the President reviewed the results of major international cultural events and new plans for tourism and large cultural facilities. Following his instructions, a national working group carried out extensive field missions across the regions, meeting with more than one thousand five hundred entrepreneurs and collecting over two hundred practical proposals and concerns from the market.
Many of these ideas were integrated into the presidential decree of 30 April 2026 on accelerated development of regional tourism infrastructure and the introduction of a project management system in the sector. The core goal of the document is straightforward: to turn tourism into one of the main drivers of regional economies, rather than an auxiliary activity.
Jobs, hotels and regional infrastructure at scale
The programme for 2026–2027 foresees the creation of forty thousand jobs in tourism and related services. Of these, twenty four thousand will be entirely new positions, while sixteen thousand will come from bringing informal employment into the legal economy. This formalisation drive is important for banks, insurers and international partners seeking transparent and bankable projects.
Accommodation capacity is set for a significant expansion. By 2027 Uzbekistan plans to reach eight thousand two hundred and fifty accommodation facilities with a total stock of ninety five thousand rooms. Hotels are expected to account for about one thousand three hundred and eighty properties with forty five thousand rooms. This growth will translate directly into demand for construction services, fit out contractors, hotel equipment, furniture, lighting, engineering systems and design solutions across multiple regions.
To support this surge, the government is channelling large volumes of public funds into local infrastructure. An additional four hundred and fifty billion soums are allocated for regional tourist infrastructure, including construction and repair of roads serving tourist routes, upgrading utility networks, landscaping public spaces and developing dedicated tourist zones. In parallel, a further nine hundred and fifty billion soums in 2026 are earmarked for wider tourism infrastructure: road repairs, new engineering and communication networks, sanitary facilities, improvement of waterfront areas and other enabling projects that make destinations investable for the private sector.
Direct support for tour operators and better connectivity
From September 2026 the Tourism Support Fund will compensate part of the expenses of foreign tour operators invited to Uzbekistan to promote the country as a destination. Domestic tour operators will be eligible for reimbursement of up to twenty five percent of their costs for advertising and information campaigns abroad, with a maximum compensation of five hundred million soums per company. These tools are designed to encourage professional marketing of Uzbek destinations and reduce risks for private players entering new source markets.
Transport infrastructure forms a separate priority block in the decree. The Ministry of Transport has been tasked with increasing the frequency of public transport in tourist cities and installing tourist signposting and navigation in English, which is essential for independent travellers and for international hotel chains aiming at global standards of accessibility.
Plans also include the launch of new air routes, such as Termez – Istanbul – Termez, Termez – Dubai – Termez, Andijan – Bukhara – Andijan, Tashkent – Bukhara – Sariosiyo and Shakhrisabz – Urgench – Nukus – Shakhrisabz. The government is considering partial reimbursement of costs for airlines operating flights from countries with low but promising tourist flows, which could open niche opportunities for carriers and destination management companies willing to take a first mover position.
Quality, skills, digital tools and data
Uzbekistan is coupling physical investment with a clear push for better service quality. The Committee for Tourism will annually organise practical training courses for industry representatives with the participation of domestic and foreign experts. This is intended to upgrade management standards in hotels, travel agencies, transport companies and cultural sites, and create a workforce that can meet the expectations of more demanding international guests.
Digital promotion of tourist locations will be expanded, with regional tourism information resources transferred to professional outsourcing providers. From 2027 regular surveys of tourists will be introduced, giving the government and the private sector a feedback loop to assess service quality and adjust tourism policy and product development based on real visitor experience, not assumptions.
Fast growth in arrivals and diversification of products
The first results of these reforms are already visible. In the first four months of 2026, Uzbekistan received around four million foreign tourists, almost thirty percent more than in the same period of the previous year. Export revenues from tourism reached one point six billion US dollars, a year on year increase of roughly forty percent. Only a few years ago such figures were perceived as long term targets; now they are turning into a new baseline for the industry.
A key driver has been the simplification of the visa regime and better connectivity. Visa free entry for citizens of many countries, electronic visas and expanded international air links have made Uzbekistan much more accessible. The number of visitors from China has increased three and a half times in 2026, while inflows from Malaysia, Japan, the United States and European countries are also growing.
The structure of tourism itself is changing. Uzbekistan is no longer associated only with the historic Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Mountain, eco, gastronomic and medical tourism are gaining momentum. New hotels, family guest houses, recreation areas and modern tourism clusters are appearing in the regions, gradually redistributing tourist flows and investment opportunities beyond the traditional hubs.
Domestic tourism is also on the rise. Under the national campaign “Travel across Uzbekistan!”, local residents made almost six point nine million trips within the country from the beginning of the year, an increase of eighteen percent versus the previous year. Growing domestic demand helps smooth seasonality, supports regional service providers and makes investment in year round facilities more sustainable.
Long term strategy and heritage based hospitality
Under the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, the country plans to welcome around twelve million foreign tourists in 2026 and raise that figure to twenty million by 2030. At the same time, the volume of tourism services is expected to reach twenty billion US dollars. Achieving these goals requires not only marketing, but also a sustained build out of modern infrastructure and service quality.
The authorities are expanding the air fleet, launching new railway routes and introducing digital services for tourists. One of the more distinctive initiatives is the creation of boutique hotels within cultural heritage sites under the “Hotels of Heritage of Uzbekistan” programme, which will require careful design, restoration expertise and high quality interior solutions tailored to protected architecture.
Regional tourism infrastructure is a major focus. The state follows a comprehensive chain approach, described as “attractive location – project – infrastructure – entrepreneur – promotion – tourist”. Within this logic, master plans are being developed for thirty four major tourism sites, alongside the creation and development of thirty one specific tourist facilities. One flagship example is the project to develop the “Kipchak Fishing Village” tourism complex in the Amudarya district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, which will be implemented using project management tools and is likely to combine accommodation, public spaces and themed infrastructure.
To coordinate and monitor such initiatives, a dedicated Project Office for Tourism Infrastructure Development is being established under the Tourism Committee. A separate Project Office for Tourism Product Development will focus on eco, ethnographic, pilgrimage, gastronomic, medical, sports and MICE tourism, turning ideas into commercially viable products that can attract investment and international partners.
Central Asian tourism ring and new landmark sites
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank, the President of Uzbekistan stressed that Central Asia has significant potential for pilgrimage, cultural, gastronomic, ethnographic, adventure and medical tourism. He underlined that reforms have been carried out to develop infrastructure, improve service, liberalise visa and transport regimes and ensure the safety of tourists. As a result, over the past decade the number of foreign tourists coming to Uzbekistan has increased sixfold to around twelve million people per year.
New cultural sites are reinforcing this positioning. The recently opened Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent and the upgraded Memorial Complex of Imam al Bukhari in Samarkand have become unique attractions. After a large scale reconstruction initiated in 2021, the Imam al Bukhari complex was expanded to forty five hectares, with new infrastructure, modern service areas, landscaped pedestrian alleys and recreation spaces. Its throughput capacity has grown from twelve thousand to sixty five thousand visitors per day, and more than one million people visited the complex in its first month of operation, confirming its role as one of the largest centres of pilgrimage tourism in the region.
The President proposed the creation of a “Tourism Ring of Central Asia” – a single tourism space bringing together the countries of the region. He called on neighbouring states, the Asian Development Bank and other partners to form a pipeline of joint tourism projects and co finance their implementation. For international investors this points to the emergence of regional, cross border tourism circuits rather than isolated national markets.
Information campaigns and international perception
To promote its tourism potential and strengthen Uzbekistan’s image as an attractive destination, the country is regularly organising information tours and press trips for foreign tour operators, media, bloggers and tourism experts. Special familiarisation trips have already been arranged for operators from Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and neighbouring states, showcasing key tourism centres, new routes, accommodation options and conditions for international guests.
Uzbekistan has also hosted representatives of leading media outlets from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, who produced coverage on the country’s tourism potential for global audiences. These initiatives are expected to gradually increase awareness of Uzbekistan’s offerings and support the positioning of the country as one of the most dynamic tourism destinations in Central Asia.
Why this matters for international construction and interior businesses
For international companies in construction, architecture, furniture, interiors and related sectors, Uzbekistan’s tourism strategy translates into a deep, multi year pipeline of projects. The planned expansion to thousands of additional accommodation facilities, the creation of boutique “heritage hotels”, new tourist clusters and reconstructed public spaces will require modern building materials, hotel and residential furniture, lighting, sanitary equipment, urban landscaping solutions and professional design services.
Large state investments in roads, utilities and waterfronts reduce basic infrastructure risks for private developers and operators. The shift to project management, the creation of specialised Project Offices and the government’s active dialogue with more than one thousand five hundred entrepreneurs indicate a more structured, predictable environment for investors. At the same time, the move to diversify tourism beyond a few iconic cities opens opportunities in secondary regions, where competition is lower and authorities are actively seeking reliable foreign partners. Companies ready to offer integrated solutions – from concept and design to fit out and maintenance – will find in Uzbekistan a fast evolving market closely linked to the broader story of Central Asian connectivity and tourism growth.
