Foreign-based tour operators would only be allowed to sell outbound travel packages to Uzbek citizens through a locally licensed tour operator or their own registered legal entity in the country, a draft government resolution published by the Tourism Committee for public input has proposed.
Under the proposal, a foreign travel company would have two options for operating in the Uzbek market: enter into a contract with a local tour operator licensed for outbound tourism, or set up its own legal entity in Uzbekistan and obtain a tour-operator license.
Travel agents, meanwhile, would be barred from selling foreign operators' travel packages directly without going through a locally licensed tour operator.
The restriction would also cover sales made through websites, social media, mobile apps, online payment systems, and other channels.
If a travel agent violates this requirement, any package it sells shall be deemed unregistered on the National Tourism Platform, and the company could face penalties under the law.
Responsibility to the traveler for performing contractual obligations shall be borne by the local licensed tour operator or the Uzbekistan-registered entity of the foreign company.
The draft also stipulates that the local operator would be responsible for registering the travel package on the National Tourism Platform, paying the guarantee fee, and issuing the traveler an electronic tour code.
The draft also proposes creating a "Safe Tourism" fund to compensate travelers for damages and cover the cost of evacuating them from abroad. To obtain a license, tour operators would need to deposit at least $50,000 into the fund, with a guarantee fee charged on every package sold.
Every tourist purchasing a foreign travel package would be assigned a unique electronic tour code, confirming that the trip is registered on the National Tourism Platform, that the guarantee fee has been paid, and that the traveler is covered by the emergency-protection system.
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