The Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

“President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has identified tourism not merely as an economic sector but as a means to open Uzbekistan to the world and the world to Uzbekistan. Hosting the 25th UN Tourism General Assembly in the historic city of Samarkand was one of the President’s prime initiatives. Since then, we have progressed remarkably: 97 nationalities can visit Uzbekistan visa-free, compared to only 9 a few years ago. There are more than 700 international flights per week, served by nearly 50 foreign and 16 national airlines.  As a result, the number of international tourists rose from 6.6 million in 2023 to more than 10 million in 2024, and we aim to welcome more than 15 million arrivals this year,” said A. Abdukhakimov.

The minister also noted that, to meet demand, we are investing 8 billion dollars to acquire 22 new Dreamliner aircraft and working closely with Saudi Arabia to construct the new Tashkent International Airport for 2.5 billion dollars, redefining air travel in Central Asia.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of education and innovation: together with UN Tourism and the Swiss school Les Roches, the International Tourism Academy in Samarkand was established to train the future leaders of the global tourism industry. Sustainable development occupies a central place in the strategy: a new National Tourism Development Strategy is being developed, built on three principles — People, Planet and Prosperity.

“We are proud to have initiated a UN resolution declaring 2027 the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism. Uzbekistan also proposed the UN International Code for Safe Tourism and was elected chair of the Intergovernmental Committee, advancing global standards of trust, safety and responsibility. Furthermore, we have established the UN Tourism’s Thematic Office for Tourism on the Silk Road to revive the legacy of the ancient Silk Road as a symbol of connectivity and shared prosperity,” the minister stressed.

In closing, Aziz Abdukhakimov expressed support for the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism, highlighted the important role of artificial intelligence in the sector’s development and underscored the necessity of strengthening cooperation between Central Asia and the Middle East to create new opportunities for economic growth and cultural exchange.

At the end of the ceremony, the chairmanship of the 26th session of the UN World Tourism Organization General Assembly was formally transferred to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.