"Tourists are complaining about poor road conditions" – President slams inaction in tourism development, orders swift infrastructure fixes

One of the key issues raised was growing dissatisfaction among tourists regarding the condition of both highways and internal roads across regions such as Khorezm, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, and Surkhandarya. In response, authorities were instructed to calculate costs and begin immediate repair work on all roads included in the so-called “tourism belt.”

The president emphasized that the global economic environment remains highly volatile, citing the loss of $10 trillion in international financial markets over the past several days. “Those who think these shocks won’t affect us are mistaken,” he warned. “Some of those lost funds could have entered our country in the form of investment, credit, or Eurobonds.”

Under such circumstances, all governors and economic officials were urged to analyze local economies daily, closely monitoring production volumes, employment, and exports, and to solve entrepreneurs’ problems at the district and regional levels.

The president noted that in recent years, tourism exports have grown 1.6 times, reaching $3.5 billion, with over 2,000 new businesses entering the sector. Most notably, the number of foreign tourists surpassed 10 million for the first-time last year.

Uzbekistan’s tourism and service infrastructure is developing rapidly, supported by $6.5 billion in local and foreign investment over the past eight years, which created 130,000 hotel beds. That number is expected to increase by another 30,000 this year.

He also highlighted the construction of a world-class ski resort in “Oltin Bel,” Parkent, and growing international interest – particularly from France’s Courchevel ski resort – in developing European-standard tourism hubs in Uzbekistan’s mountainous areas.

“We will not stop here. Our rich historical and cultural heritage, along with our unique and beautiful nature, is more than enough to double or even triple the number of tourists,” said the president.

A long-term strategy is now being developed to raise tourism’s share in the economy to 7% and export volumes to $10 billion by 2040.

However, the meeting also revealed widespread inaction among local leaders. Despite the tourist season having started over a month ago, only one capsule housing site has been opened – in Kitob district, while governors of the remaining 35 districts and cities remain inactive.

To encourage action, it was announced that up to 10 million UZS in subsidies will be allocated from the Tourism Fund for the construction and furnishing of capsule houses.

The president also criticized the lack of progress in establishing tourism villages. Although this initiative began three years ago and has shown positive results overall, some regions lag behind:

• Tashkent region’s plan to create a tourism village based on the South Korean model remains only on paper;
• Kashkadarya and Jizzakh have established just one tourism village each;
• Navoi and Syrdarya lack centers for handicrafts;
• Jizzakh and Fergana have no facilities for gastronomic tourism;
• In Jizzakh and Surkhandarya, tourism exports do not exceed $65 million, and in Syrdarya, they remain below $30 million.

No "tourism corner" showcasing Uzbekistan's tourism potential has been established at any of the country's border checkpoints, which was also criticized.

President Mirziyoyev also noted the growing popularity of trekking among the population, particularly in mountainous areas. However, tour operators currently wait two to three months for route approval. He ordered the responsible agencies to issue permits within 10 days via the Unified Interactive Portal.