Tourist trips from Uzbekistan surge, driven by growth in regional travel

From January to August, around 5.2 million Uzbeks went abroad for tourism purposes – an increase of nearly 1.1 million, or 26.8%, compared to the same period in 2024. Eight of the 10 most popular destinations remained unchanged from the previous year.

Kyrgyzstan topped the list, attracting 2.3 million visitors from Uzbekistan – 44% of the total – representing a 20% increase year-on-year. Kazakhstan ranked second with 956,000 trips, almost 1.5 times higher than last year’s figure. Tajikistan came third, with 887,900 visits, up by 13.2%.

The number of tourist trips to Russia rose by 60% to 312,700. Meanwhile, 181,700 Uzbeks visited Turkey (up 15.2%) and 165,700 traveled to Saudi Arabia (up 48%).

In the United Arab Emirates, 94,200 Uzbek citizens visited for tourism in the first eight months of 2025 – a 15.7% rise compared to the previous year. Travel to Egypt also grew significantly, increasing by almost two-thirds to 45,400 trips.

Two Asian countries – Vietnam and China – entered Uzbekistan’s top 10 destinations for the first time. During the period, 28,500 Uzbeks visited Vietnam and 27,600 traveled to China. A year earlier, Kuwait (16,700) and South Korea (14,900) had rounded out the list.

On June 1, a visa-free regime between Uzbekistan and China came into effect. Under the agreement, Uzbek citizens can travel to mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) for up to 30 days per visit, with a total of 90 visa-free days allowed every six months. The travel platform Aviasales reported a 66% increase in flight bookings to China over the past year, along with a nearly twofold decrease in average ticket prices.