Over 1 trillion soums to be allocated to culture sector

More than 1 trillion soums will be allocated to the culture sector in Uzbekistan by 2030. The announcement was made during a presentation to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on ongoing projects and new initiatives in the fields of culture and tourism.

As part of the plans, a new Silk Road Museum is set to be built in Samarkand on a 9-hectare site. The museum will house more than 6,000 unique exhibits, including archaeological artifacts, fine art, and applied art pieces. The complex will also include permanent and temporary exhibition halls, a 160-seat auditorium, a children’s academy, a conservation and research center, and large storage facilities.

The presentation also focused on increasing public engagement with cultural institutions and modernizing their content and operations in line with current standards.

In this regard, proposals were discussed to gradually transform 839 cultural centers across the country, upgrade their infrastructure, involve the private sector in their activities, and enhance their overall attractiveness. Overall, it has been planned to allocate more than 1 trillion soums to the culture sector by 2030.

Proposals to support the Andijan Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Tumor Dance Ensemble were also approved.

It was noted that nearly 3 million tourists have visited the country since the beginning of this year, marking a 37 percent increase, while tourism service exports rose by 48 percent to reach $1.1 billion. The goal is to attract 20 million foreign tourists by 2030 and serve 12 million visitors in 2026.

It was emphasized that tailored programs should be implemented in each region to enhance their tourism potential based on local characteristics.

To this end, measures were reviewed to accelerate the development of tourism infrastructure in the regions and to organize the sector based on project management principles. In particular, it is planned to begin implementing 31 master plans in 2026–2027, create more than 40,000 jobs, increase the number of accommodation facilities to 8,250, and raise the number of tourism villages and neighborhoods to 84.

The presentation also considered new approaches to promoting Uzbekistan’s tourism potential in the international market.

Officials were instructed to further develop the discussed projects and initiatives and ensure their implementation based on clear calculations and concrete plans.