The Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan has prepared a draft resolution providing for the creation of a new sanatorium and resort city named Nurbulak in the Samarkand region. This project aims to develop a major center for medical and wellness tourism utilizing natural thermal springs.
According to the submitted document, the territory of Nurbulak will cover 470 hectares in the Nurabad area. It is planned that within one month of the resolution's adoption, the settlement will receive the status of a urban settlement within the regional jurisdiction, with the subsequent prospect of becoming a full-fledged city.
The main natural asset of the future resort will be therapeutic radon thermal springs. The project provides for the construction of international-level sanatoriums and resort facilities for the effective use of healing waters. Plans include increasing the number of sanatoriums to fifty, with a total capacity of 7,400 beds.
The document also defines key goals for the tourism sector. Among them are doubling both domestic and foreign tourists, increasing the export of medical and wellness tourism services by 2.3 times, and extending the average length of guest stay from five to eight days.
Tax and customs benefits are proposed to attract investments. Investors implementing projects for building spa complexes and sanatoriums will be exempt from customs duties on imported equipment, machinery, and raw materials until January 1, 2035, and will also receive a 50 percent reduction in the land tax rate.
Within six months of the document's approval, the Samarkand Region Khokimiyat is obliged to develop the general development plan for Nurbulak. Financing for design and state expertise works will be provided from the Fund for the Development of Tourist Infrastructure in Mountainous and Remote Areas.
Land plots for tourist infrastructure will be distributed through online auctions in accordance with the approved general plan and investment obligations. To support the construction of hotels and sanatoriums, investors will be offered preferential loans from the Reconstruction and Development Fund at an interest rate not exceeding the Central Bank's key rate, which was 14 percent at the time of publication.
The project also envisages the creation of a national brand for medical and wellness tourism called 'Avicenna' and the launch of a corresponding online platform. This platform will provide information about medical institutions, sanatoriums, and tourist attractions in Uzbek, English, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic, and will include an interactive map and an online inquiry service.
