The Tashkent International Tourism Fair presented the opportunity for Uzbekistan's regional tourism boards to showcase their tourism potential at the event's expo.
At the event, Mr Sukhrob Bobokalonov, head of the Bukhara Regional Department of Culture and Tourism, spoke to Daryo to share tourism plans for the region of Bukhara. At the forefront of Bukhara's tourism development plan is the proposal to drastically change the old city of Bukhara by removing government offices and turning it into a tourist-only zone in order to preserve its tourist appeal.
"We are working on a plan to make a certain part of Bukhara only for tourists. If we remove all the administrative buildings from the city center, it will attract tourists only. We are also thinking about logistical points because certain seasons have a high tourist flow which can cause traffic jams which are uncomfortable for tourists.""We want to remove all administrative buildings from the old city. We want to make a safe place for tourists only within the old city so tourists can take their children, walk around the city, go shopping and cross the roads safely. All the new hotels will be built outside of the old city."
"We are going to build a new tourism center from 2024 to attract tourists from around the world. We are going to build different types of hotels, restaurants, and congress halls."
He went on to state that specific investment information such as figures and dates has not yet been made public as the investors and developers are still at the negotiation stage.
"The greatest challenge urban planners face is how to intertwine Bukhara’s old and new, while maintaining its cultural identity. To conserve its cultural heritage one must look at the city as a whole to keep the entire area in balance. New projects should complement the existing layout and architecture to not feel out of place.""Sustainable development also means involving the locals. They’re part of the charm and appeal of historical towns. A new locally run eco-friendly accommodation might have a bigger appeal to global travelers than a large hotel chain has."
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