Uzbekistan is rapidly emerging as a popular tourist destination
As Uzbekistan prepares to celebrate Independence Day, it’s worth examining how its tourism sector, one of its most vibrant economic areas, has evolved over the last decade. Previously, visiting Uzbekistan was challenging due to restrictions such as a short list of countries with simplified entry, mandatory registration, complex visa processes, and underdeveloped hotel facilities. These factors made the country more appealing to Oriental studies aficionados and historians than to mass tourists. Currently, the situation has transformed entirely.
The most crucial step was the steady liberalization of the visa regime. By 2018, simplified procedures, country stay rules, and business conditions led to a doubling of foreign tourist numbers. During this period, visa-free entry was extended to nine additional countries, bringing the total to eighteen, while simplified visa eligibility expanded from twelve to fifty countries. Additionally, an electronic visa system was introduced, visa-free transit was allowed for citizens from over one hundred countries, and the temporary registration process for foreigners was fully digitized, eliminating the need for paperwork.
The first Hilton hotel opened in Tashkent, offering nearly 260 rooms in various styles, and soon after, another hotel was launched in Samarkand. Discussions also took place about expanding the brand to Bukhara and Khiva. Additionally, a significant project was the Silk Road Samarkand tourist center in Samarkand region, a modern complex with hotels and infrastructure built to handle large numbers of tourists and host international events and forums.
Meanwhile, the government is boosting domestic tourism by planning trips for forty million residents, launching hundreds of new tour operators, and building over one hundred hotels, family guesthouses, modular hotels, apart-hotels, and tourist villages across the regions.
By early 2026, ninety-four countries had citizens eligible for visa-free entry, and more relaxations keep being added. For instance, starting June 1, 2025, citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman gained a thirty-day visa-free period.
In 2019, approximately 6.75 million foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan. By 2026, this number grew by nearly 47% annually, reaching 11.7 million.
Since 2019, the government has provided subsidies for hotel construction, aiming to double the hotel count to support the increasing number of travelers. Recently, many modern hotels across different categories, from budget hostels to luxurious five-star hotels, have opened in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Additionally, prominent international hotel brands that had not previously operated in Uzbekistan have entered the market for the first time.
Over the past decade, tourism in Uzbekistan has transformed from a niche interest for enthusiasts of the ancient Silk Road cities into a vital and rapidly expanding part of the national economy. With open borders, modern hotels, renowned international brands, and an increasing number of direct flights, destinations like Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Tashkent have become much more accessible to international travelers.
Orash Akaboyev, UzA
