According to official data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, more than 535,000 nationals of Uzbekistan have visited Tajikistan over the first nine months of this year.
The majority of them have reportedly arrived in Tajikistan to see their relatives, study, undergo medical treatment and have a rest.
In terms of the number of its nationals visiting other countries, Uzbekistan is reportedly in the third place, following Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
According to data from Uzbekistan’s Committee for Statistics, over the first nine months of this year, 3.9 million Uzbek nationals have gone abroad as tourists.
According to data from Tajikistan’s Agency for Statistics, more than 814,000 nationals of Tajikistan have visited Uzbekistan over the first eight months of this year.
Meanwhile, Tojiddin Jourazoda, Head of the Tourism Development Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 28 that more than 363,000 foreign tourists have visited Tajikistan over the first six months of this year, which is 2.9 times more compared to the same period last year.
Jourazoda predicted at the time that this figure may exceed 600,000 before the end of the year.
However, this forecast has already been confirmed by October 1.
Tourism is considered one of the sectors, which are hoped to promote further development of the national economy. However, tourism receipts-to-GDP ratio remains very low. Due to the coronavirus pandemic this ratio fell in 2019 to 0.3 percent, and in 2021, it rose 1.3 percent.
The Tourism Development Committee notes that there is possibility this year to raise last year’s ratio.
As it had been reported earlier, each tourist leaves approximately 500 U.S. dollars in Tajikistan, but Jourazoda noted that it is impossible to tell the exact figure now.
According to him, they are currently together with the World Tourism Organization are conducting a survey of local and foreign tourists. “According to the survey’s findings, it will be possible to find out how much each tourist spends during the travel to Tajikistan,” Tourism Development Committee top manager noted.
It is to be noted that the tourism industry is an economic sector among those most severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tajikistan’s rich cultural heritage, hospitality and abundance of mountain snow peaks, rivers, lakes and recreational opportunities contribute to the development of country’s tourism industry. In 2018, Tajik Government announced a year of tourism development. The tourism sector is considered a priority for the development of Tajikistan’s economy. At the same time, undeveloped infrastructure and low levels of quality of services delay the growth of the tourism industry.
Source: Asia-Plus