Development Prospects of Uzbekistan's Tourism and Hospitality Industry by Utilizing the EU Experience

The purpose of this paper is to describe the status quo regarding tourism and hospitality in Uzbekistan and three European countries for the period 2007-2012, as well as to evaluate the development models implemented by the EU tourism industry and examine which of these models could be utilized by the Uzbek stakeholders so as to advance and boost the country’s tourism evolution.The methodological approach includes: record of tourism facts and figures in three EU countries, namely in the UK, Greece and the Czech Republic as well as review of the different tourism development strategies they implement; analysis of the Uzbek tourism and hospitality industry and identification of the distortions and problems hindering the development of tourism in the country; comparative study of the data and recommendation of the most appropriate developmental model to be implemented in Uzbekistan in order for the country’s tourism to flourish.The survey shows that the tourism potential of Uzbekistan is being exploited to a much lower level from its capacity. The tourism industry and its corresponding products are dependent on few certain destinations. Lack of qualified human resources is also a drawback. High level of bureaucracy related to incoming and outgoing tourism is observed. Among the three EU developmental models that have been examined in this paper, it seems that the Czech model is the most suitable one to be applied in Uzbekistan.The study is based mostly on secondary data provided by the tourism authorities of the respective countries and this is a limitation in this paper. Primary data collected through questionnaires and interviews and their in-depth analysis would provide more tangible and useful results.The findings of this paper may contribute to the amelioration of tourism in Uzbekistan and trigger further investigation of the country’s potential for sustainable growth.

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