Uzbekistan's tourism ambitions clash with historic preservation

Proceeding from its latest article, BBC unveils that Uzbekistan is making significant strides in boosting its tourism sector, with ambitious plans to attract millions of foreign visitors by 2030. 

The government of Uzbekistan is launching an ambitious push to boost tourism, but it is facing criticism from heritage experts on how to protect its historical landmarks.

In Bukhara, once a bustling trade hub along the ancient Silk Road, the air is filled with the noise of construction. Tourism is now the driving force of commerce, with new hotels cropping up on nearly every street. Just outside the caravanserai where I’m staying, I can see three construction projects within 100 meters, and a guesthouse is being built just steps from a 16th-century madrasa.

This trend is evident nationwide. In Tashkent, the capital, a shopping mall is under construction near the Hazrati Imam mosque complex, adjacent to the new Centre for Islamic Civilisation. In Khiva, a small historical city surrounded by mud fortifications, old mud-and-straw homes in the historic center are being replaced by modern hotels. Samarkand, too, is undergoing significant changes, as billionaire Bakhtiyor Fazilov has invested in various projects to promote the city, including a new airline, a state-of-the-art airport that opened in 2022, and the newly built Silk Road Samarkand, a tourist resort that some critics feel lacks authenticity.

"The concept of the Silk Road is being applied to everything," said Svetlana Gorshenina, a researcher and member of the Uzbek heritage protection group Alerte Héritage. "You have Silk Road restaurants, Silk Road shops, Silk Road tours, and agencies dedicated solely to the Silk Road. It has become our only selling point, and it’s self-exoticizing. It’s a form of self-orientalization, a lingering effect of colonialism."

The strategy is proving effective. Uzbekistan has climbed 16 spots in the last five years, now ranking 78th out of 119 countries in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index. The Uzbek government is heavily investing in the tourism sector following the launch of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Uzbekistan 2030 plan in September 2023. This comprehensive national strategy outlines ambitious goals across multiple sectors, including boosting the number of foreign tourists to 15 million, more than double the 6.6 million visitors recorded in 2023. Additionally, Mirziyoyev has proposed the development of "tourist clusters" – integrated complexes offering accommodation and services to tourists in one location.

One of the new tourism clusters that brought me to Bukhara is a 33-hectare site on the outskirts of the old town, where a leisure complex called Eternal Bukhara is set to be developed. Samarkand billionaire Bakhtiyor Fazilov is also involved in the project; he serves as chairman of Enter Engineering, one of Uzbekistan's largest construction firms, which is handling the development. However, details about the complex remain vague, especially since the project has already sparked controversy.

Initial reports in local media described it as an "ethnographic park" that would recreate traditional Uzbek buildings, such as chaikhanas (teahouses), alongside Uzbek restaurants and a cultural museum. Yet, the 3D renderings displayed on the walls surrounding the construction site reveal a different vision: modern, blocky shopping arcades and shimmering pools decorated with abstract art.

By Naila Huseynova