Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 14 August, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of projects to expand tourism potential.

The suspension of international flights and the introduction of restrictions on traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic has had a strong negative impact on the tourism sector around the world, including in Uzbekistan. Over 1,500 tour operators and 1,200 hotels in the country were forced to stop their activities. This situation affected the employment and income of thousands of people in trade, handicrafts, transport, public catering and other related areas.

In this regard, the state is taking measures to support tourism and the gradual restoration of the activities of tourist facilities. The President signed the Decree "On urgent measures to support the tourism sector to reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic" on 28 May and the Decree "On additional measures to develop the tourism sector in strict compliance with the requirements of the enhanced sanitary and epidemiological safety regime" on 19 June 2020. These documents introduced a number of preferences for the tourism industry in order to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. In general, Uzbekistan uses modern opportunities for the development of tourism in the context of a pandemic.

By the decision of the Republican Special Commission from 12 August, the movement of vehicles, domestic air and rail traffic is allowed from 15 August. Sanatoriums, boarding houses, children’s health camps, hotels, guest houses, beaches, hostels and other recreation areas will resume their activities. This will create conditions for the further development of tourism in our country.

During today’s presentation, information about the work done and plans for the future is presented.

Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region has a high tourism potential. However, over the years, the available opportunities have not been fully utilized. Despite the picturesque nature, favorable climate and the opportunity to relax all year round, no large-scale and modern projects capable of attracting tourists to the region have been implemented. Today, along with the creation of tourist zones, it is planned to solve a number of important issues in Bostanlyk district.

- Our main goal is, first of all, to ensure the rule of law in the field of tourism, to create spacious, inexpensive, safe and comfortable recreation areas that allow us to receive guests all year round. People from all regions of Uzbekistan should come to places like Bostanlik, and the projects implemented here should become an example for other regions, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

According to the data, our compatriots annually spend about US$1.2 billion on vacations abroad. One of the main reasons for this is the insufficient number of modern tourist complexes in Uzbekistan that meet all the requirements.

For this purpose, in recent years in all regions of the country, including in Bostanlyk district, large-scale projects have been implemented at the expense of entrepreneurs. In particular, in a year and a half, the world-class Amirsoy complex was built and commissioned. This proved the possibility of implementing ambitious projects.

During the presentation, the head of state got acquainted with the complex of objects that will be commissioned in Bostanlyk district in the coming years, and made proposals for their improvement.

Among them is a project to create an international resort "Beldersay-Chimgan-Nanai". Its concept and economic model were developed by a consortium of French companies with a grant from the FASEP Foundation in the amount of 750 thousand euros.

The total project cost is US$480 million, including US$280 million in direct investment. Its main goal is to develop entrepreneurship by increasing the value of land and the investment attractiveness of the area.

The project consists of three stages. The first implies the creation of an all-season resort in Chimgan district. It is planned to develop tourism infrastructure, including the construction of suspension bridges, ski trails and attractions, through a concessional loan from France in the amount of 48 million euros. As a result, ski tourism will become popular, modern conditions will be created for local and foreign tourists, and entrepreneurship will develop. The launch of the first phase of the project is scheduled for December 2021.

An important requirement of projects is to provide ample opportunities for successful entrepreneurs on the basis of public-private partnerships. On the territory of the tourist zone, additional types of services will be organized based on the development of goat breeding, camel breeding and beekeeping. Separate plots of land on the territory of the resort will be received by young people who will be able to fully implement their ideas for the development of tourism.

New resorts will appear in villages around the Charvak reservoir. This will help increase the employment of local residents.

In Bostanlyk district, work is underway to develop tourism and service infrastructure based on empty and inefficiently used facilities. In particular, it is planned to privatize about 80 objects. This will reduce the participation of the state in tourism and give an impetus to the development of private entrepreneurship. It is planned to create up to 15 thousand new jobs. Due to increased competition, acceptable prices for services will be formed.

The event also provided information on efforts to identify and register illegal entities.

In particular, in order to simplify the accounting of taxation objects in Bostanlyk district, a mobile application orom.uz and a single electronic platform were developed. More than 3.7 thousand landlords are registered through it. In addition, strong points were created and more than 16 thousand objects were inventoried. As a result, tax revenues have almost tripled compared to the same period last year.

Measures are being taken in the region to develop and repair road infrastructure. In particular, highways have been repaired, drainage pipes have been laid to divert groundwater, more than 10 kilometers of footpaths have been built.

The President stressed the need to build and repair roads based on thoughtful and cost-effective projects.

The increased flow of tourists also requires rational waste management. It is estimated that an average of 102 tons of household waste is generated in Bostanlyk district per day. Unfortunately, due to the low level of recreation culture, waste is not collected and left in nature.

To solve this problem, to improve the cleaning system of the territories, it is planned to increase the number of waste collection points and the number of special equipment, as well as to establish the work of the environmental inspection. As a result, the entire territory of the district will be covered by sanitary cleaning services. Constant monitoring of visitors’ compliance with cleanliness and environmental protection requirements will be established.

Work is also underway to improve drinking water supply and sewerage networks in Bostanlyk district. Since the beginning of the year, 7.6 kilometers of drinking water supply networks, pumps and water towers have been built. In the next two years, it is planned to lay 36 kilometers of water pipelines, 3.5 kilometers of sewerage and about 10 hydraulic engineering and sewerage facilities.

Particular attention is paid to improving the power supply of the region. The President instructed to repair the existing power grids, build facilities for generating electricity from water, wind and solar energy, and meet 50 percent of the needs of tourist facilities from these sources.

A project for the creation of mobile recreation centers based on light structures on mountain slopes, lands of forest and water resources is considered. The head of our state emphasized the importance of equitable land allocation through electronic auctions, increasing the responsibility of land users for activities that are harmless to nature.

In order to develop the region as a full-fledged tourist zone and to successfully implement the planned projects, the President proposed, as an experiment, to the Deputy Prime Minister - Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan to entrust the task of parallel leadership of Bostanlyk district.

At the presentation, the task was set to double the tourist potential of the region by expanding the influx of tourists and types of services provided in the next two years.