Over the first three months of this year, about 145 foreign tourists visited Tajikistan, which is 2.5 times more than in the same period last year, according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.
The majority of foreign nationals who visited the country over the reporting period are citizens of the CIS member nations – 94 percent of the total number, primarily holders of Uzbek passports.
According to official data, the tourism inflow to Tajikistan has reportedly decreased 4.4 times over the past two years due to global Covid-19 related travel restrictions: from 1.3 million in 2019 to 296,000 in 2021.
The Agency or Statistics under the President of Tajikistan says about 58,000 foreign nationals visited Tajikistan over the first three months last year.
In all, 614,000 foreign nationals visited Tajikistan for various purposes (business trips, tourism, vacation, etc.) in the same thee-month period, which was 6.1 times more that in the same period last year.
The majority of them were nationals of Uzbekistan – 141,000 people, Russian citizens – 44,000 people, Kazakhstan – 4,200 people, Turkey – 1,300 people, Kyrgyzstan – 1,000 people, Afghanistan – 700 people, Ukraine – 500 people, etc.
Recall, little more than 100,000 foreign nationals visited Tajikistan in the first quarter of last year different purposes (business trip, leisure, etc.), which 66 percent fewer than in the same period in 2020.
The majority of foreign nationals who visited the country in January-March 2021 are citizens of the CIS member nations – 92,500 people or 91.9 percent of the total number, and 8,100 nationals of far abroad countries, including 3,000 Afghan nationals, 600 nationals, Turkey and China — 600 people each, Iran and India – 400 people each, and the United States – 300 people.
Meanwhile, about 588,000 people have left Tajikistan over the first quarter of this year, which was almost 6.45 times more than in the same period last year.
In January-March 2021, only 91,200 people reportedly left Tajikistan.
As of April 1, 2022, 240 tourist companies have operated in Tajikistan, which is 19 companies than as of April 1, 2021.
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.