Tourism in Uzbekistan

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Tourist activities in Uzbekistan range from outdoor activities, such as rock-climbing, to exploration of its archeological and religious history. The Statistical Internet Survey conducted between May 7 and August 27, 2008, found that the majority of those surveyed (39%) visit Uzbekistan due to interest in its architectural and historical sites. The next-largest group (24%) visited Uzbekistan to observe its culture, way of life, and customs.^[1]

In 2019, 6.75 million tourists visited Uzbekistan. The industry earned a total of $1.68 billion.^[2] The tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with both tourist numbers and revenue dropping heavily.^[3] Each autumn, the Uzbek travel industry holds an International Tourism Fair.^[4]

Uzbekistan is located on the Great Silk Road, and many neighboring countries (including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) promote their countries based on their location along the Great Silk Road. The World Tourism Organization's Silk Road Office was opened in 2004 in Samarkand. This office was commissioned to coordinate the efforts of international organizations and national tourism offices of countries located on the Silk Road. Uzbekistan is a member of The Region Initiative, which is an umbrella organization for tourism-related entities across South Asia, Central Asia, Caucasus, and Eastern Europe which is also by Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Ukraine.^[5]