Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — During a meeting on 9 April, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of further developing domestic tourism. In recent years, the number of citizens traveling within the country has significantly increased, from 5 million in 2017 to 23 million in 2024.

Despite this growth, millions of families have still not visited historical tourist centers such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Shakhrisabz. As a result, new initiatives were introduced.

According to the president's instructions, one Saturday and Sunday each month will be designated as "Family and Work Collective Travel Days" to encourage active travel within the country.

Additionally, a rewards system will be introduced to stimulate youth interest. Winners of various competitions will receive travel vouchers for domestic trips as part of the "Travel Across Uzbekistan" program.

To support these initiatives, the government will allocate 20 billion soums annually from the national budget. Relevant agencies have been tasked with developing measures to promote extreme tourism.

It is also worth noting that since 1 September 2022, Uzbekistan has implemented a cashback program for citizens traveling domestically through the "Travel Around Uzbekistan!" initiative, which partially reimburses travel expenses.