Uzbekistan’s tourism boom is being formalised into long-term policy.
A new draft government strategy for 2026–2030 sets out plans to double foreign visitor numbers, expand accommodation capacity nationwide, and significantly increase tourism export revenues, building on a surge that made the country one of the fastest-growing destinations for international travel in 2025.
Uzbekistan Tourism Data for 2025
According to data published by the World Tourism Organization, Uzbekistan was among the world’s fastest-growing destinations for international travel in 2025, as global tourism continued its post-pandemic recovery.
Official statistics from Uzbekistan’s national statistics authority show that 10.7 million foreign citizens visited the country between January and November 2025, underlining the scale of inbound growth achieved during the year.
The rise in visitor numbers followed several years of steady expansion, with tourism increasingly cited by the government as both an economic growth sector and a contributor to international engagement.
Uzbekistan Government’s Tourism Plan for 2023
Under the draft “Uzbekistan – 2030” strategy covering the period from 2026 to 2030, the government has set out a series of quantified tourism targets.
The headline goal is to increase the number of foreign tourists to 20 million per year by 2030. Interim targets are set at 12 million in 2026, 13.5 million in 2027, 15.2 million in 2028, and 17.5 million in 2029.
Domestic tourism is also expected to expand, with the number of internal tourist trips projected to reach 25 million per year by 2030 under the national “Travel around Uzbekistan!” programme.
Pilgrimage tourism is identified as a separate growth segment, with annual visitor numbers targeted to rise to 3 million people by the end of the decade.
To support this growth, the strategy outlines plans to create 20 tourism clusters across the country by attracting private investment, alongside the organisation of 4,000 new hotels, guest houses, and hostels in regional areas by 2030.
Infrastructure development forms another pillar of the plan. This includes the construction of 25 road-based tourist routes in mountainous areas and the expansion of so-called tourist mahallas, villages, and streets to a total of 175 locations nationwide.
From an economic perspective, the government aims to raise the value of tourism services exports to $6 billion per year by 2030. Medical and educational tourism are expected to contribute significantly to this figure, with combined exports from those sectors targeted at $1.5 billion annually.
The strategy also calls for the regular organisation of cultural and entertainment performances at cultural heritage sites and tourist destinations, with the goal of attracting 100,000 tourist spectators per year through scheduled events.
Taken together, the targets suggest a shift from rapid post-pandemic growth towards a more structured, investment-driven expansion of Uzbekistan’s tourism sector over the remainder of the decade.
Sources
- World Tourism Organization – World Tourism Barometer (November 2025)
- Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan – Foreign citizens visiting Uzbekistan, Jan–Nov 2025
- Draft “Uzbekistan – 2030” strategy (regulation.adliya.uz)
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