Tajikistan’s Committee for Tourism Development has introduced the Tajikistan Tourist Map mobile application to assist foreigners, the Committee’s press service says.
“This application was developed to help digitize the country’s economy and transition the tourism sector to a more modern digital platform. The main goal of this app is to help develop tourism in the country and introduce foreign tourists to the unique natural and cultural attractions of Tajikistan,” the Committee noted.
The app provides all necessary information about tourist routes, as well as hotels and restaurants across the country. It works without an internet connection, making it convenient for use in any conditions. The app can be downloaded for free via Google Play and the App Store.
The mobile application was reportedly developed in accordance with the president’s instructions on quality digitalization of the national economy.
The application was created by the domestic company Rebus at the initiative of the Project Implementation Unit for Access to “Green” Financing and Rural Development Funds, operating under Tajikistan’s Finance Ministry.
According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, more than 1.2 million foreign citizens have visited Tajikistan over the first nine months of this year (19-percent increase compared to the same period last year), 941,300 of whom arrived in the country as tourists (17-percent increase compared to January-September of 2023)
In the first half of the year, Tajikistan signed 20 international agreements with various countries in the tourism sector, aimed at developing medical, ecological, and mountain tourism.
Currently, with the support of the Tajik government and partners, several investment projects in the tourism industry are being implemented. One such project, financed by the Asian Development Bank for US$10 million, focuses on preparing initiatives to boost tourism development.
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.
