 Tourism, friendly, historic
and diversified Uzbekistan |
Uzbekistan, a country with a colourful past, has a long and interesting history dating back as far as to the 6th century BC. Wars have been fought, empires have risen and fallen and leaders have come and gone - the Sogdians, the Macedonians, the Huns, the Mongolians, the Seljuks, the Temurids and the Khanates of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Khorezm. Besides, it is a land where the footsteps of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan left their mark, the land of the Great Silk Road which passed through Central Asia contributing to the current development of Uzbekistan as a land of trade.
The people of Uzbekistan come from a long heritage of hospitality and warmth - there is nothing more pleasing for them than to entertain guests. In addition to this, they have a wealth of ancient sites, unexplored and ready for the world to see. The major historical sites of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva offer great potential for international tourism, and their most beautiful architectural sites date back to the 14th century reign of Tamerlane, who was known to say, "the world will know us by our majestic architecture".
The ancient Great Silk Road is still in operation today as a result of the adoption of UNESCO's initiative in 1994 called the Samarkand Declaration -"The revival of Tourism on the Great Silk Road". Its ancient cities of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand are steeped in history, tradition and fascination, and show the heritage of the Silk Road better than any other country or city. They are "must-sees" for any tourist interested in exploring an untouched part of Central Asia, as is the Surkhandarya region; a host to valuable Buddhist memorials giving evidence to the spread of Buddhism from the East to the South.
The country offers other exciting adventures especially in the Chimgan mountains east from Tashkent: snow skiing, white water rafting, hiking, mountaineering, hunting, fishing and more. Desert experiences on horseback or camel can also be an exotic option. According to entrepreneurs presently working in Uzbekistan, tourism has increased significantly over the past few year with visitors coming to Uzbekistan from all over the world, especially Europe and Japan. Most tour operators are beginning to include Uzbekistan into their packages, some offering very unique packages such as Following Marco Polo, The Caravan of the Sun, Bactria -the Land of Gold and The Great Silk Road Caravan.
Tourism in Uzbekistan has the potential of being a major source of income for the country. In 1999 the government of Uzbekistan passed legislation on tourism with the goal of actively developing tourism in the country until 2005. Currently it makes up to 0.4 % of the country's GDP with one million tourists who visited Uzbekistan in 2000. Uzbektourism, in order to develop a tourism infrastructure for Uzbekistan draws from foreign experience and advice, researches the market and works within the priorities set down by the government. It has also been a member of the World Tourist Organisation since 1993. As a member of the Executive Council of the WTO Uzbekistan has organised and hosted the "Annual Silk Road Tourist Fair" in Tashkent since 1995 attracting up to 170 participants each year. Moreover, many local tour operators regularly take part in other international tourism fairs in London, Berlin, Milan, Moscow and Tokyo.
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In lieu of the need to improve tourism services, especially hotels, Uzbekistan, together with a number of foreign companies, has launched a few investment projects. The Uzbekistan Hotel in Tashkent has foreign partners, the Hotel Shodlik, also in Tashkent, is a joint-stock company with German management, and the Khorezm Hotel in Khiva and the Bukhara Hotel in Bukhara have been reconstructed. There are plans to reconstruct the Chorsu Hotel in Tashkent and the Samarkand Hotel in Samarkand. The reconstruction ofrecreation areas on the banks of the Syr-Darya River, a historical river previously known as the Oxus River,is currently underway. The government realises that the overall tourism infrastructure of the country can only be improved effectively with additional foreign capital investments. Uzbektourism is keen to promote foreign investment in the form of JVC's, with 100% foreign ownership or partial ownership with Uzbektourism. Furthermore, it is recognised that in the hotel business, it is not only foreign investment that is needed - staff training is of utmost importance. Attitudes, philosophies and principles of operation need to be changed in order to bring the hotels up to international standards. Many new concepts are being introduced, most which were never been practised during the time of the former Soviet Union.
There is already evidence of some foreign investment in the form of the new hotels like the Sheraton Tashkent Hotel and Towers, Hotel Inter-Continental, the Bumi Hotel in Tashkent, The Hotel Afrosiab in Samarkand and the New Bukhara Hotel in Bukhara. The Sheraton Tashkent Hotel and Towers, operating in the capital city since 1999, is one of the leading international standard hotels in the country. Training of hotel associates and staff has been a priority, in order to improve services, ultimately making a significant contribution to the future of the hospitality industry of Uzbekistan. Mr. Reda Darwish, General Manager of Sheraton Tashkent Hotels and Towers is optimistic, "As far as I am concerned tourism in Uzbekistan is very promising and booming, and lately I have noticed that tourists from all over the world are coming to Uzbekistan." Both the Sheraton and Inter-Continental Hotels, main players in the hotel business, have a positive outlook for the future and hope to open more hotels in the strategic tourist centres of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva as part of their long term plan. The Hotel Inter-Continental in Tashkent, opened in 1997, is the first international hotel to be operating in Tashkent, enjoying a monopoly for 3 years. It comprises the hotel complex, the Aqua Park, the Tashkent Children's Park, The Tashkent Shopping Plaza, the International Business Centre and the UzExpo Centre.
The history of the tourism in Uzbekistan has developed along with the independence of the country. A significant contribution towards the development of tourism is the general growth and development of the country's infrastructure as a whole. The road infrastructure is improving considerably, for example the road between Tashkent and Samarkand, a main tourist route, has been resurfaced.The road through the Ferghana Valley on to China is part of an international project presently underway to revive the old Silk Road by building a corridor from Europe all the way to Beijing. Transport by bus and train to all major cities in Uzbekistan is reliable and very cost effective, as are domestic flights. Even the souvenir production has increased as a result of advice given by foreign consultants in the areas especially of design and marketing. And last but not least, with the dissemination of information about the country through international tourist fairs, the internet, travel magazines and personal experience the country will become increasingly popular as a unique tourist destination. |
