In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the head of the Tourism Development Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, Kamoliddin Muminzoda, stated on February 10 that 999,300 foreign tourists visited Tajikistan last year, which is 3.4 times or 703,000 tourists more than in 2021.
According to him, most tourists came from Uzbekistan – 690,000. Russia (136,000 tourists), Kazakhstan (25,000 tourists), Turkiye (7,500) and the United States (about 7,000) are reportedly also among the top five countries.
Muminzoda also noted that three large and two small projects are currently being implemented in the country to support further development of the tourism sector in the country.
He noted that the main tasks of the tourism industry for the period up to 2027 include the creation of the tourism infrastructure in accordance with world standards, training of qualified personnel for the tourism industry, improvement of quality of offered tourist services and expansion of their list, increasing the country's status in international ratings, and formation of a national brand.
“A special attention will be given to development of medical, ecological and mountaineering tourism,” Muminzoda added.
Tourism is considered one of the sectors, which are hoped to promote further development of the national economy. However, tourism receipts-to-GDP ratio remains very low. Due to the coronavirus pandemic this ratio fell in 2019 to 0.3 percent, and in 2021, it rose 1.3 percent.
It is to be noted that the tourism industry is an economic sector among those most severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tajikistan’s rich cultural heritage, hospitality and abundance of mountain snow peaks, rivers, lakes and recreational opportunities contribute to the development of country’s tourism industry. In 2018, Tajik Government announced a year of tourism development. The tourism sector is considered a priority for the development of Tajikistan’s economy. At the same time, undeveloped infrastructure and low levels of quality of services delay the growth of the tourism industry.
