Uzbekistan extends tax benefits for hotels and restaurants, simplifying digital marking requirements

Uzbekistan and Indonesia intend to deepen their partnership in the field of pilgrimage tourism. Plans include organizing tourist exchanges, launching direct flights, and strengthening interaction between tour operators.

The discussion of these plans took place during a meeting between the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, Abdulkhaziz Akkulov, and the Indonesian Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Muhammad Irfan Yusuf.

One of the key issues discussed was increasing the number of tourists traveling between the two countries. The parties considered the possibility of opening a direct Tashkent-Jakarta air route, as well as direct flights connecting Tashkent with historical cities in Uzbekistan.

Participants in the meeting also discussed applying mechanisms proposed by the President of Uzbekistan to subsidize new airlines. Furthermore, local tour operators attracting tourists from Indonesia will receive a subsidy of 100 US dollars for each tourist brought to Uzbekistan.

Indonesia is viewed as a promising market for developing pilgrimage tourism, as more than two million Indonesian citizens perform Hajj and Umrah annually.

Uzbekistan has over 1200 pilgrimage sites, including places related to the heritage of Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, Imam Tirmizi, and Bahauddin Naqshbandi.

During his visit, the Indonesian Minister toured pilgrimage sites in Samarkand and Bukhara. Following this visit, the parties agreed to promote these two cities in the Indonesian market as destinations for pilgrimage tourism, develop specialized routes, and organize B2B meetings between Hajj and Umrah operators from both countries.

A practical area of cooperation will be the opening of the five-star hotel 'Hadis' at the Imam Bukhari complex with the participation of Indonesian investors.

Additionally, the parties are considering creating an 'Umrah Plus' program, expanding interaction between tour operators, and improving pilgrimage tourism infrastructure. These measures are aimed at strengthening Uzbekistan's position in the Indonesian tourism market and increasing the number of tourists arriving from Indonesia.

Uzbekistan and India have concluded a tourism cooperation program that will be effective from 2026 to 2028. This document provides for deepening tourist exchanges, closer interaction, and the implementation of new joint projects.

The signing of the agreement took place following high-level meetings in the presence of Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as reported by the Uzbekistan Tourism Commission.

Under this program, both countries intend to increase tourist flows and develop the tourism sector by launching new joint initiatives. The parties agreed to organize mutual cultural weeks, film festivals, and other significant tourism-related events, and also plan to launch new joint tourist routes.

Special attention was paid to introducing a 30-day visa-free stay regime for citizens of Uzbekistan and India. This measure is expected to stimulate the growth of tourists between the two states, increase mutual travel, and contribute to the further development of tourism partnership.