On December 9, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeting on promoting tourism and sports, as well as tasks for the coming year, the presidential press service said.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed measures to resurrect and promote tourism, taking into account the need to revise approaches in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, it is planned to attract 1.7 million foreign and 7.5 million local tourists, as well as increase the export of tourist services up to US$ 370 million, with the most promising area being the pilgrimage tourism. There are many Muslim shrines, monuments of Judaism and Buddhism in Uzbekistan. Taking advantage of this opportunity, it is possible to attract 700 thousand pilgrims and ensure the export of services worth of US$ 130 million, the statement said.
In this regard, he pointed to the need for a phased resumption from next year of air traffic with European countries, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, and launching new flights for pilgrim tourism. He criticized the high cost of ticket faress for flights of Uzbekistan Airways and instructed cut prices.
