Tajikistan welcomed more than 761,000 international tourists over the first six months of 2025 — a significant 31% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Tourism Development Committee.
Between January and June, the number of foreign visitors grew by 180,900 people, reaching 761,400 arrivals. Of these, 699,200 tourists came from countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), while 59,800 visitors arrived from non-CIS countries.
Although overall numbers rose, the Committee noted a slight decline of 1.1% in tourists from outside the CIS. In contrast, the number of visitors from CIS countries increased by 31% year-on-year.
Authorities have yet to release a breakdown of which countries contributed most to the influx, but promised to publish detailed statistics in the coming days.
Uzbekistan and Russia lead among tourist sources
Earlier figures from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan revealed that, of the 307,000 tourists who visited Tajikistan in the first quarter of 2025:
- 64.1% were citizens of Uzbekistan
- 23.6% came from Russia
Among non-CIS countries, China topped the list with 7,100 visitors, followed by:
- Iran – 3,900 tourists
- Afghanistan – 3,200 tourists
Tourism Sector Grows Amid Infrastructure Challenges
Tajikistan’s government has voiced its intention to further boost tourist flows and improve service quality. However, visitors and experts have pointed out persistent challenges, including:
- Lack of public toilets along highways and in tourist zones
- Shortage of affordable hostels and motels
- Slow internet connectivity
- Growing environmental concerns in certain destinations
Despite these issues, the growth in tourist numbers reflects increasing regional interest in Tajikistan's natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and adventure tourism offerings.
Tourism is considered one of the sectors, which are hoped to promote further development of the national economy. However, tourism receipts-to-GDP ratio still remains very low.
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.
