Russia and Uzbekistan organize tourist charter flights

Rostourism has begun organizing charter flights in the direction of Uzbekistan, Spot reported with reference to the press service of the department.

Its head Zarina Doguzova recently met with the head of the Ministry of Tourism, Aziz Abdukhakimov. During the negotiations, she spoke about the interest of the Russian side in tourist charters, as well as in the joint development of tourist routes.

According to the forecasts of Rostourism, the bilateral tourist flow by the end of the year may grow by 20-30% and amount to 700 thousand people. This is 35% more than it was in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.

According to calculations, Uzbekistan entered the top 3 countries in demand for Russians for the period of the May holidays. The increase in the flow of tourists is facilitated by a visa-free regime, as well as the removal of restrictions on flights between the two countries.

Uzbekistan for Russia is the most developed direction in the CIS, Doguzova noted. Up to 100 bilateral flights are operated weekly – more than to the UAE or Egypt, and with a wider route network.

In the next 3-5 years, the number of mutual tourist trips can reach 2 million per year. This will be achieved by expanding the number of flights and interstate tourist routes. Relevant steps were included in the plan approved by the parties.

The growing demand among Russian air travelers for flights to Uzbekistan was noted back in February. Then 5 Uzbek cities entered the top 20 destinations, and Tashkent was in the top three.

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia in early March predicted a “massive” flow of tourists to Uzbekistan. This is one of the few countries where bank cards of the Russian MIR system are accepted for payment.

On March 11, the vice-premiers of the two countries agreed to increase the mutual tourist flow by signing a 20-point plan. Among them is the cross-border tourist route “The Great Silk Road”, as well as special packages for various types of tourism.

Uzbekistan took the second place in demand among Russians who want to fly abroad for the May holidays. Travel agencies noted an increase in interest in the republic – both in traditional excursions and in “card tours”.