Evaluating Sustainable Tourism in a Historic Silk Road City: The Case of Samarkand

Sustainable tourism has emerged as a key priority for historic destinations striving to achieve economic development while preserving cultural heritage and protecting environmental resources. This study investigates the main strengths and challenges associated with sustainable tourism development in Samarkand and proposes policy recommendations to promote balanced and long-term tourism growth. An integrated analytical framework was employed, incorporating Glocal RPM analysis, the SANEL HERMES tourism model, Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on survey data. The results reveal a substantial discrepancy between the perceived importance of sustainable tourism attributes and their actual performance. In addition, the findings demonstrate that tourism performance has a strong positive effect on residents’ satisfaction and their support for future tourism development. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers and destination managers by identifying priority areas for improvement and providing evidence-based guidance for enhancing sustainable tourism practices in Samarkand and other heritage destinations.

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