Uzbekistan is preparing a major push into active tourism, as the national Committee on Tourism has put forward a draft presidential decree that turns the country’s mountains, lakes, waterfalls and caves into a structured business opportunity for investors and operators. The document has been released for public discussion, signaling that the authorities want market feedback before reshaping one of Central Asia’s most promising tourism segments.
New framework for active tourism in Uzbekistan
The draft decree was prepared jointly with sectoral ministries and agencies, reflecting a coordinated effort to create a nationwide framework for adventure and active tourism rather than scattered local initiatives. In designing the new approach, the government studied the experience of Switzerland, Austria, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — countries that have turned natural landscapes into competitive tourism products while maintaining safety and sustainability.
The document defines six core directions for developing active tourism: ensuring tourist safety, expanding services by leveraging the natural and geographical potential of each region, introducing national and international safety standards, digitalizing and simplifying permitting procedures, improving training for guides and instructors, and supporting entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations. Together, these measures aim to move the sector from informal, fragmented activity to a regulated, scalable industry with clear rules of the game.
For international investors, the focus on safety standards and professional training is particularly important. A system of certified guides and instructors, backed by national and international norms, reduces operational risks for tour operators and insurance companies. At the same time, the planned digitalization of permits — from route approvals to access to protected areas — promises a more predictable regulatory environment and lower administrative costs for foreign companies entering the market.
Natural assets prioritized across regions
Within the framework of the project, authorities have compiled a list of 162 natural sites considered to have high potential for active tourism. The largest concentration of these assets is in Tashkent region, which accounts for 77 sites and is positioned to become the primary hub for mountain and adventure travel close to the capital. Surkhondaryo region follows with 30 sites, Samarkand with 22, Kashkadarya with 20, and Jizzakh with 13, creating a diversified geography of tourism clusters across the country.
The list includes 88 mountains and mountain ranges, 21 lakes, 20 waterfalls, 18 caves and grottos, as well as 15 mountain peaks. This mix of vertical and water landscapes gives Uzbekistan a broad spectrum of possible products — from trekking, climbing and canyoning to lake-side retreats and speleological tours. For construction, hospitality, transport and logistics players, it is essentially a preliminary map of where new infrastructure, accommodation and services will be needed over the coming years.
Regional authorities are now expected to align their development plans with this natural asset mapping. Roads, mountain access routes, small airfields or heliports, visitor centers and eco-lodges are likely to be prioritized around these clusters. This offers a clear orientation point for developers, engineering companies and operators who are looking to position themselves ahead of a future wave of tourism projects.
Business climate and regional development prospects
The draft decree places entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations at the heart of active tourism development. By explicitly committing to support these actors, the state is signaling that it sees adventure tourism not only as a cultural or social project, but as a space for private initiative, investment and job creation. This approach can stimulate the growth of small and medium enterprises in guiding, transport services, accommodation, equipment rental, and tourism-related construction.
Simplifying and digitizing permitting procedures is equally important for the business climate. Long approval chains and opaque requirements have historically been a barrier to developing routes, camps and mountain infrastructure in many markets. If Uzbekistan manages to combine safety oversight with fast, transparent online procedures, it will make it easier for both local and foreign operators to launch new products — from multi-day trekking itineraries to design-driven mountain hotels and glamping formats.
The emphasis on training guides and instructors will gradually build a skilled workforce that can support more sophisticated tourism offerings. Better qualified personnel reduce operational risks and improve customer experience, which in turn helps attract higher-spending visitors and justify investments into more complex projects, such as architect-designed eco-resorts, branded hospitality facilities and integrated mountain recreation zones.
For the financial sector, including banks and leasing companies, a formalized state strategy and mapped asset base can make it easier to assess project viability and allocate credit lines to tourism infrastructure. Clear policy priorities often help unlock funding for construction of hotels, guesthouses, cableways, access roads and recreational facilities, especially when supported by state guarantees or public–private partnership models.
Why this matters for international furniture and construction companies
For international companies in furniture, construction, interiors and architecture, Uzbekistan’s move to systematize active tourism represents a medium term pipeline of new projects in mountainous and lake regions. As adventure tourism sites are upgraded, demand will grow for hotels, lodges, visitor centers, cafes, rental stations and information hubs — all of which require design, structural engineering, outdoor and indoor furniture, modular housing solutions and durable finishes adapted to highland and natural environments.
Brands specializing in hospitality concepts, outdoor furniture, eco-friendly materials and functional interiors can position themselves as partners for local developers and tour operators, bringing in design expertise and standardized solutions that meet international safety and comfort expectations. Architects and planners have an opportunity to help shape new tourism clusters in Tashkent, Surkhondaryo, Samarkand, Kashkadarya and Jizzakh regions, combining landscape-sensitive design with practical visitor flow management.
Even for companies not yet present in Central Asia, the emerging strategy signals that Uzbekistan is serious about building an internationally competitive tourism industry. A clearer regulatory framework, mapped natural assets and an explicit focus on supporting entrepreneurs collectively improve the country’s investment climate and make it more attractive as a base for regional projects that can later extend to neighboring markets.
