Uzbekistan abolishes visa regime to expand tourism sector
By Gunay Hasanova
Uzbekistan has revealed plans to roll back its highly restrictive tourism regime by cancelling visa requirements for 15 countries to create favorable economic and institutional conditions for intensive development of tourism as a strategic sector of the economy.
An executive order that followed the victory of interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev in a presidential vote, reads that citizens of the 15 countries would not need visas to enter the country after April 2017.
The presidential order also clarified that citizens from 12 other countries — including the United States and France — can enter the country visa-free if they are 55 years old or older.
The visa regime will be abolished for the citizens of Australia, Austria, UK, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland and Japan from April 1, 2017, who will arrive in Uzbekistan for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 30 days.
The visa regime will be also abolished for the citizens of Belgium, Indonesia, China (a part of tourist groups), Malaysia, the U.S., France, Vietnam, Israel, Poland, Hungary, Portugal and the Czech Republic, who reached the age of 55 years and willing to visit Uzbekistan for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 30 days, the decree said.
While entering Uzbekistan, the foreigners of the above-mentioned countries will have to pay a $50 entry fee from April 1, 2017, which will be transferred to the country’s state budget.
Uzbekistan is home to Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand, three cities considered jewels along the Old Silk Road trade routes that used to connect Europe and Asia. Thousands of tourists visit the cities every year.
There are many types of tourism being offered in Uzbekistan: historical and cultural tourism, ethnic tourism, adventure tourism, ecological tourism and health tourism.
The number of tourists visiting Uzbekistan in 2015 was 1.969 million, while tourism services brought in $1.21billion in 2015, according to World Bank statistics.
The direct contribution of travel and tourism to the GDP is expected to grow by 6.1 percent (0.9 percent of GDP) by 2025.
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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova
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