Young equestrian athletes participated in competitions in Tashkent

Uzbekistan has entered the ranks of global leading destinations for international tourist flows, with the number of tourists increasing by 25 percent in the first half of 2026. This figure was noted as one of the highest results among European destinations in a report released by UN Tourism.

According to Sputnik agency reports, Uzbekistan recorded a high growth in international tourist flows in the first half of 2026. This information is presented in the World Tourism Barometer report published by UN Tourism in September.

Based on data from the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, more than 6.5 million foreigners visited the country for tourism. This growth rate is significantly higher than the global indicator; according to the UN Tourism report, the number of international tourists increased by only 0.4 percent worldwide in the first half of 2026.

Tourist flows are also observed in other countries in Central Asia. For example, Tajikistan saw an increase of 20.9 percent in foreign tourists during the first quarter of 2026, with over 371 thousand tourists visiting the country. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, received 3 million foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, 1.1 million of whom came from Uzbekistan.

The UN Tourism report also shows that Moldova achieved a 25 percent growth similar to Uzbekistan. The average growth across Europe was 3 percent. Furthermore, during January–August of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting Uzbekistan reached 9.1 million, and the export of tourism services amounted to 4.6 billion dollars.

The 'Uzbekistan Judo Tour-2026' major adult judo tournament was hosted by the 'Pahlavon' sports complex in the Namangan district. 219 qualified judokas from the Karakalpakstan Republic, all regions, and the city of Tashkent participated in the competition, competing for victory.