The Tourism Committee said the initiatives, Gastro Marketplace and Tourist Friendly Restaurants, are being implemented by its project office with the participation of the country’s restaurant industry.
The projects are designed to promote Uzbek national cuisine in line with international standards and make better use of its potential as a tourism product.
Around 40 restaurants in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khorezm have been selected to participate. The restaurants will develop lighter and more balanced versions of traditional national dishes tailored to the preferences of foreign tourists.
Technological specifications for the dishes are currently being prepared. The participating restaurants will also receive English-language menus and professionally designed visual materials.
Around 80 people interested in conducting gastronomic masterclasses have also been selected for the projects. Participants will receive training based on international standards for serving foreign tourists.
A specialized database has been created to promote participating restaurants and masterclass providers on global digital platforms.
The Tourism Committee expects the projects to help integrate Uzbek national cuisine into the digital economy, introduce modern service standards across the sector and strengthen Uzbekistan’s gastronomic brand internationally.
The initiatives are also intended to help local entrepreneurs reach international markets and bring family businesses into the tourism economy, increasing the economic potential of gastronomic tourism in Uzbekistan.
