Annual tourist arrivals to Uzbekistan to reach 20 million

Uzbekistan plans to double the annual number of foreign tourists and bring it to 20 million by 2030. The target was announced on January 15 during a video conference meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uzbekistan’s diplomatic missions abroad.

It was noted at the meeting that in recent years tourism has become one of the economy’s key and steadily growing strategic sectors. Last year, the number of visitors to Uzbekistan rose sharply to 11.5 million, while tourism exports reached $4.7 billion.

By 2030, tourist arrivals are expected to double and reach 20 million. To achieve this goal, ambassadors were instructed to work with the Tourism Committee using new approaches and initiatives, including the involvement of major outsourcing companies.

Specific tasks were assigned to ambassadors in Russia, Belarus, South Korea, Germany, and the United States. In addition, tourism and cultural adviser positions will be introduced at Uzbekistan’s embassies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Russia, France, and China. Ambassadors in these countries were instructed to make effective use of these opportunities and increase tourist inflows by two to three times.

It was also noted that a visa-free regime for US citizens has been introduced starting this year. Active negotiations with major US companies employing more than 100,000 people were emphasized as an important step toward doubling the number of tourists arriving from the United States this year.

It is worth recalling that earlier reports said more than 10.7 million foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan in the first 11 months of 2025, generating $4.4 billion in tourism services revenue. Compared to the same period in 2024, the number of tourists from neighboring and CIS countries increased by 1.1 times, while arrivals from more distant countries rose by 1.5 times.