Zahid Khakimov, chairman of Uzbektourism, told a group of visiting journalists that the government was keen to sharply increase the number of tourists from the current 1 million annually and wanted to welcome people living in the Gulf countries, Khaleej Times reported.

“We need investors…their money for hotels, transportation,” Khakimov said, adding that the government was taking steps to privatise the entire tourism sector where 90 percent of all services were already in private hands.

Uzbekistan’s history is closely linked with Islam. Cities like Samarkand and Bukhara, which lay on the old Silk Route, are home to centuries-old monuments, mausoleums and trading halls that have a huge tourism potential.

Islamic monuments will be of interest to people from Arab countries, Khakimov said.

He told journalists visiting Uzbekistan at the invitation of the government that there were 600 tour operators in the country, which became independent in 1991, and five international airports to cater to tourists — 70% of who currently come from Europe. He said that while there were nearly 240 hotels in Uzbekistan with a capacity to hold up to 20,000 tourists, there were only two top-end 5-star hotels in the capital Tashkent. More were needed to attract high-end tourists. According to Khakimov, 10 new hotels would open in Bukhara city, which is said to be at least 2,750 years old. The government was also planning to open three hospitality institutes to train people in the business and services related to the tourism industry, Khakimov said.

Tashkent is currently connected with the UAE through four Uzbekistan Airways flights a week — two from Dubai and two from Sharjah, said Sabirov Rakhimberdi, regional manager, Middle East, Uzbekistan Airways. He said the airline was looking at increasing the flight frequency in anticipation of a rise in tourist traffic from the UAE. “This gives ample flexibility to the traveller to work out the length of the journey,” said Ibrahim Nalkhande, COO for Travel of Planet Group that represents Uzbekistan Tourism in the Gulf countries and Uzbekistan Airways in the UAE. Nalkhande said Uzbekistan was a versatile and diversified destination, which could be sold to families, honeymoon seekers for its history and culture, religious and eco-tourism, sports and adventure etc. At the same time there was also a huge potential for companies to hold meetings, he added.