00:04UZBAKISTAN
00:04From expanding flight networks to new tourism experiences,
00:08Uzbekistan is transforming how visitors reach and explore the country
00:12as international arrivals continue to rise.
00:16This is Business Line Uzbekistan.
00:18Hello and welcome!
00:20Uzbekistan is seeing a sharp rise in international tourism.
00:23According to UN tourism, international arrivals were up 37% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026,
00:32placing the country among the world's fastest-growing destinations.
00:36National figures show the scale of that growth.
00:40Around 7.7 million international visitors arrived in the first seven months of the year,
00:46followed by another 1.4 million in August alone.
00:50Uzbekistan has also taken steps to make travel easier.
00:53Citizens of more than 90 countries can now enter visa-free,
00:57while travelers from other eligible countries can apply for an electronic visa online.
01:03Air connectivity has grown too.
01:06According to Flight Connections, scheduled flights currently connect Uzbekistan with 107 airports in 40 countries,
01:14with services operated by 45 airlines.
01:18But the numbers tell only part of the story.
01:21Behind this growth are changes in how Uzbekistan is developing its tourism sector and welcoming visitors.
01:28Let's take a closer look at what is happening on the ground.
01:33Samarkand is one of Uzbekistan's best-known Silk Road destinations.
01:37Its international airport handled 1.5 million passengers in 2025, three times its 2022 total.
02:05It's modern terminal opened in 2022, providing additional capacity for passengers.
02:11As Uzbekistan looks to attract more international visitors,
02:15infrastructure like this airport is becoming an important part of the country's tourism expansion.
02:20Across Uzbekistan, new accommodation facilities added more than 22,000 beds in the first seven months of 2026.
02:29Exports of tourism services reached nearly 3.9 billion dollars.
02:34The government also subsidizes qualifying charter flights and selected tourism start-ups.
02:40The new Jerole Denman Guberta train has cut the Tashkent-Hiva journey from 14 hours to 7.5.
02:47Today we are providing service for more than 10 cities in Uzbekistan for high-speed trains,
02:53which we are going to increase year by year.
02:56One of these projects is a dedicated rail line for the passengers from Tashkent to Samarkand,
03:03with a speed limit up to 300 kilometers per hour.
03:06But visitors also judge destinations by the services they receive.
03:10First, here is a hotel, or the outside of the public sector.
03:14The people are so friendly, especially in hotels and restaurants are so clean.
03:19For others, feeling safe is just as important.
03:22After visiting Uzbekistan, I felt all the time very secure.
03:27I think the security is my last problem in Uzbekistan, feeling everywhere free.
03:33As tourism grows, Uzbekistan is also looking beyond its established destinations,
03:39developing new attractions and experiences to bring visitors to more parts of the country.
03:44Joining us now is Laibek Hakimov, advisor to the chairman of Uzbekistan's tourism committee.
03:49Mr. Hakimov, what measures is Uzbekistan taking to make the country easier and more appealing to travel to?
04:03We have now.
04:46Dziękuje za oglądanie.
04:52Dzięki za oglądanie.
04:59Dziękuje za oglądanie!
