Uzbekistan has experienced an increase in the number of tourists visiting the country in 2024, with a total of 8.2mn foreign citizens arriving for tourism, according to the press service of the Statistics Agency. This marks a rise from the 6.6mn tourists recorded in 2023.
The demographic breakdown of tourists in 2024 reveals that the majority of visitors were men, accounting for 50.2% of the total, or 4.1mn individuals. Women made up 49.8% of the visitors, with 4.08mn women traveling to Uzbekistan for tourism purposes.
Tourist numbers have been steadily growing throughout the year. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, 1.5mn foreign citizens visited Uzbekistan, with a marked increase in the flow of European Union nationals.
In January 2024, 4,601 citizens from the EU visited the country. By the end of May, more than 2.8mn tourists had arrived, including 10,600 from the United States. By October 2024, the total number of tourists had reached 5.7mn.
This surge in tourist arrivals is expected to continue, supported by ongoing efforts from the government to enhance the country's tourism infrastructure. In June, during a videoconference meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, several initiatives were discussed to attract more visitors.
The need for modern water parks and recreational facilities, which could act as key tourist magnets, was highlighted. Government officials were tasked with increasing projects for water parks and swimming pools, as well as developing a comprehensive master plan for lakes and resorts.
The meeting also focused on improving the calendar of festivals and reviewing concert requirements for international performers to boost cultural tourism. Additionally, measures to ease border crossing procedures with neighboring countries were emphasized to make travel more seamless for tourists.
One of the key concerns raised during the meeting was the difficulty tourists face in securing domestic flight tickets. Many visitors have reported long waiting times, sometimes up to two months, even when booking flights and train tickets six months in advance. In response, officials were instructed to launch a single online platform for travel information and ticketing, which would allow for easier booking and the introduction of tiered pricing to ensure tickets are available well in advance.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Twitter pages to keep current on world news.
Comments (0)