Plans to build a Hilton hotel in Termez, the oldest city in Surkhandarya, were shared at the Investment Forum of the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand on 17 and 18th October by the Surkhandarya tourism department. Aimed at business travellers and general tourists, the project is expected to cost $150 mn and create 100 jobs.
Covering 3 hectares, the hotel will also include an on-site restaurant and meeting rooms. The project was just one of 28 total potential tourism projects with a combined value of $371 mn and an expected payback period of 5 years.
Other projects included tourist facilities along the shores of Uchkizil reservoir, a geological park and tourist centre in the Baysun district, and an ‘Ethno-Town’ and ‘Buddha City’ in Termez, which is expected to create employment opportunities for young people in the area.
Surkhandarya has a total of 561 cultural heritage sites, many of them classed as pilgrimage, eco-tourism, or wellness tourism. It is home to several architectural and archaeological monuments not only from Islamic culture but also from Zoroastrian, Nestorian, and Buddhist cultures.
Situated in the southernmost region of Uzbekistan, Termez, and in particular, the border with Afghanistan is currently on the list of discouraged travel destinations by numerous governments, including the UK, France, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Australia, and many others.
Stephen Rohan, a travel writer interviewed multiple times by the BBC, visited Termez and speculated on the plans to build a Hilton hotel:
Accommodation choices during my stay were quite limited. The hotel I stayed at was rather basic and lacked the essential WiFi I needed for my work while travelling. The addition of a brand new Hilton is definitely something positive for the area
I imagine the hotel will serve as a useful base for aid agencies and other NGOs working in nearby Afghanistan, as well as being a good option for the odd wayward tourist that finds themselves in these parts. Termez has good rail links to Samarkand and Tashkent, so the new hotel will hopefully put it on the map and increase revenue for the city.
The Investment Forum saw each region of Uzbekistan showcase their current, future and potential tourism plans including a $269 mn project currently underway to upgrade facilities in the ski resort Chimgan. Tax-friendly incentives to attract foreign investors to Karakalpakstan were also promoted by their tourism department which is planning to extend its eco and safari tourism facilities.
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