Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - Blue domes of Samarkand and Bukhara, the ancient city located in the desert - Khiva, the rapidly growing capital - Tashkent attract tourists from all over the world. Uzbekistan among the countries of Central Asia was included in the list of 10 best regions, cities and countries for tourism in 2020 according to Lonely Planet. In addition, media giants such as CNN and National Geographic are actively promoting Uzbekistan as a tourist destination, Dunyo reports.

Given the huge interest, the country will pay great attention to the development of the tourism sector. Travelers can discover an oriental tale for themselves, because the innovations that came into force on January 1 make Uzbekistan an even more attractive country.

So, from the beginning of the new year, a visa-free regime for citizens of another 30 countries came into force, including Australia, Argentina, Barbados, Belgium, Great Britain, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Panama, Turkey, Jamaica, Japan and other countries. Now the total number of such countries has reached 86.

Traveling around the country by car will soon also become more convenient, since in 2020 the creation of the tourist transport corridor “Uzbekistan Tourism Highway” will begin. The highway will run from the city of Khanabad of Andijan region to the city of Muynak of the Republic of Karakalpakstan with a branch to the city of Termez of the Surkhandarya region. At the same time, development of roadside infrastructure and the organization of tour services are envisaged along the corridor.

In August 2019, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree according to which new opportunities for small businesses are opened for residents of remote areas, villages, villages and auls. According to the document, on the territory of such gatherings of citizens family guest houses should be opened with the provision of at least five types of services for tourists (with the exception of accommodation and / or catering services). They will be assigned the status of “Tourist Mahalla” or “Tourist Village”. For travelers, this is a unique opportunity to get in touch with the culture of local residents.

Due to the opening opportunities for the development of safari tourism, Tashkent and Surkhandarya regions will come into the view of tourists due to their natural and climatic conditions. Mountain landscapes of these areas are very favorable for camping, “bungee jumping”, “zipline” and other types of outdoor activities. In December last year, the opening of the mountain resort Amirsoy, located on the spurs of the Chatkal Range of the western part of the Tien Shan Mountains, has already taken place.

At the same time, not only entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan, but also foreign legal entities will be able to participate in the development of the tourism sector. Thus, the state bodies of Uzbekistan are ready to cover 20 percent of the costs of foreign film companies in the creation of audiovisual products produced in Uzbekistan. In addition, the State Committee for Tourism Development received the right to allocate grants for the filming of feature films, short films, documentaries on historical and legendary figures of Uzbekistan in the amount of 30 percent of the project cost.

In addition to the famous eastern cities, ancient architectural monuments and sophisticated cuisine, the main wealth of Uzbekistan is people. In addition to all the innovations opening up for travelers, the year 2020, according to media leaders, is the best time to discover the hospitality of our country.