Abdulhamid Hamid Al-Kba

On November 18, 2025, His Excellency President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed Presidential Decree No. UP-217 – not merely an administrative document, but a comprehensive declaration of war on tourism underdevelopment and the birth certificate of Uzbekistan as a global tourism powerhouse. This is not just development; it is a revolution that will double tourism’s contribution to GDP from 3.5 % to at least 7 %, attract 20 million foreign tourists annually instead of the current 10 million, and raise tourism service exports to more than $6 billion per year. This is the moment Uzbekistan decided to transform from a country visited by chance into an unforgettable destination.Since taking office in 2016, President Mirziyoyev has turned Uzbekistan from one of the world’s most closed nations into one of its most open. Visa-free entry for citizens of more than 90 countries, currency liberalisation, large-scale privatisation, and the revival of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva from sleeping historic cities into living, breathing tourism hubs – all these steps paved the way for this foundational decree of the “New Uzbekistan”.One of the decree’s strongest provisions is the elevation of the Tourism Committee from a secondary department under the Ministry of Ecology to an independent republican executive body reporting directly to the President, with quasi-ministerial powers. It can now issue binding regulations, manage its own budget, and open official representative offices in capitals worldwide. Its chairman is appointed and dismissed by presidential decision and bears personal responsibility before the President for every single target. A special Tourism Reform Headquarters reporting directly to the Presidential Administration has also been created for daily monitoring. Tourism is no longer a side sector – it has become the country’s second strategic economic driver after gas and gold, and may soon become the first.Non-negotiable targets by 2030 Tourism’s share of GDP: from 3.5 % to at least 7 %
Annual foreign tourists: from 10 million to 20 million (with a focus on high-spending visitors)
Tourism service exports: more than $6 billion annually
Domestic travel time between tourist cities: reduced to one-third
Four- and five-star hotels: doubled
A globally recognised Uzbekistan tourism brand to rival “Incredible India” and “Amazing Thailand”

These are binding performance indicators for which the Committee chairman answers personally.Iconic projects that will be written in gold Samarkand Heritage Walk (6.6 km): a magical pedestrian corridor linking Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda and Bibi-Khanym with artistic lighting and interactive experiences.
Smart Itchan Kala in Khiva: the world’s first fully immersive living museum-city, blending authentic daily life with augmented reality inside medieval walls.
Tashkent – World Capital of Mosaics: a campaign to list the capital’s breathtaking Soviet-modernist mosaics on the UNESCO World Heritage List and turn Tashkent into a standalone cultural destination.

A new generation of talent: a world-class academy in the heart of Samarkand
The Samarkand branch of the International Tourism Academy, operating under the auspices of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has launched intensive training programmes (one month to eight months) for thousands of sector workers, producing professionals capable of competing with the best staff in Dubai and Singapore.The most powerful incentive package in Eurasia Cash VAT refund for foreign tourists upon departure (from 1 February 2026)
50 % grant for the top 10 innovative tourism start-ups each year (up to 1 billion sum per project)
Full customs exemption until 1 January 2030 for equipment and furniture for hotels under any of the world’s top 50 brands (Brand Finance ranking)
Up to 25 % rebate on production costs for foreign films shot in Uzbekistan
Full customs exemption for electric tourist buses
Within the next two months: official proposals to further expand the visa-free list and simplify entry procedures even more

National Unified Platform: a digital revolution in every tourist’s pocket
From 1 July 2026, a single app will eliminate all complications: instant e-SIM activation, automatic hotel registration, one e-ticket for all attractions and museums, multilingual AI-powered audio guides, personalised itineraries, and big-data analytics integrated with the national “Safe City” system.Shopping & entertainment: global luxury brands on the Silk Road
The Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade is officially tasked with attracting the world’s biggest fashion and luxury brands to new shopping and entertainment centres built in traditional Uzbek style – turquoise domes, carved columns and Gur-i Amir ornamentation. Phase one (by 2030): Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.A detailed roadmap and top-level oversight
The decree approves a comprehensive implementation roadmap (Annex No. 6) with exact deadlines and responsibilities. Direct personal oversight is assigned to Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and the head of the Presidential Administration’s Creative Economy and Tourism Department, Jomart Umurov.An irreversible golden era begins
On 18 November 2025, President Mirziyoyev did not merely sign a decree – he signed the future of an entire nation. This is a new declaration of economic independence telling the world loudly and clearly: “Enough being just a transit point on the Silk Road. From today, we are the destination.”In the next five years we will witness a transformation beyond imagination: Samarkand’s streets thronged with millions of visitors from every continent, world-class hotels overlooking Registan, daily flights from London, Dubai, Singapore and Tokyo, young Uzbeks fluent in five languages, and state coffers overflowing from guests’ smiles and their awe at the beauty of this ancient-yet-renewed land.Uzbekistan 2030 is not a dream. It is a presidential decree signed in golden ink, funded with hundreds of millions of dollars, monitored personally by the Head of State, and executed with unbreakable will.The world no longer asks “Where is Uzbekistan?”
It will soon be fighting fiercely for the last available ticket.Welcome to the new golden age of Uzbekistan.
The door is wide open… and the future begins now.