OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2012. Modern tourism industry is one of the largest, lucrative and dynamic spheres of the economy and has become a bridge for constructive and informative dialogue of cultures and peoples of the world.

Tourism has a great potential in Uzbekistan, raising its share in economic prosperity of the country. The governmental support is also increasing, thanks to which national tourism model has been developed during the years of independence combining the traditions of eastern hospitality and western service standards.

Uzbektourism national company, founded on 27 July 1992 by a presidential decree, is tasked with informing the world community about historical heritage and tourist potential of our country. It coordinates the activity of tourist organisations of the country, attracts investments to the sphere and improves infrastructure.

As the analysis of current state of tourist industry of Uzbekistan shows main indicators of tourism are rising due to radical measures on reforming the sphere, reconstruction of material and technical base and improving service levels.

According to Uzbektourism data, advanced tourist centers – Bukhara, Samarkand, Khorezm, Tashkent regions and Tashkent city attract around 80 per cent of total tourist flow. Fergana valley, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions are fast becoming new tourist hotspots. Tourists from Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Turkey, Russia make up the majority of foreign guests.

An interest in the old and renovated Uzbekistan is growing around the world due to the fact that the country is located in a strategically geographic place, in the centre of the continent along the famous Great Silk Road and has unique cultural and historical legacy: more than 4000 monuments of history and culture, of which 140 are included to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

– I was in Uzbekistan ten years ago, – says Marko Biff, an Italian tourist. – Today I am witnessing a huge creative process in your country. I could visit and enjoy both historical monuments of Samarkand and Kashkadarya as well as new buildings. Beautiful flowers along the roads, shadowy gardens and squares are a pleasure to the eyes. Many historical monuments attest to the great past, while new buildings – to the modern culture of city planning and architecture.

Today national tourism infrastructure includes highly developed network of air transportation, international airports in the country, famous European and Asian airlines, active in the local air passenger market. Opening of the high-speed railway line, the first of its kind in Central Asia, allows to intensify internal tourism and develop various tours in Uzbekistan: from cultural-informative to extreme ones.

– Popularization of tourist routes is indelibly correlated to development of tourist infrastructure of Uzbekistan, – says A.Temirkhodjaev, deputy chairman of Uzbektourism National Company. Thus, the main task of our company is to create favorable conditions for travel companies.
At present approximately 850 organisations work in the tourist industry. 359 hotels operate in the country, offering high quality service.