The Umrah Plus International Tourism Association was established in Tashkent. The goal of this association is to support the development of pilgrimage tourism and attract foreign pilgrims to Uzbekistan.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, as well as the diplomatic corps, foreign embassies, and partners from the tourism industry, attended the event dedicated to the launch of the association.
The new association will focus on combining pilgrimages to Mecca (Saudi Arabia) with visits to historical, cultural, and religious sites in Uzbekistan. Among the stated objectives are increasing the number of foreign pilgrims and promoting the country's tourism potential in global markets.
As part of the program, Uzbekistan intends to attract pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries. Plans include developing routes that combine the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia with tours of historical and religious attractions in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.
A roadmap for the period 2026–2027 has been approved, which plans to attract 100 thousand pilgrims from Malaysia and Indonesia. Simultaneously, efforts are planned to improve the quality of tourist services, expand air connections, strengthen cooperation with foreign tour operators, and create new tourism products that meet international market demands.
Among the proposed initiatives is the launch of transit tourist routes from Kuala Lumpur to Saudi Arabia via Samarkand or Bukhara. Such routes are intended to combine Uzbekistan's transport and logistics capabilities with its potential in pilgrimage tourism.
A memorandum of cooperation was also signed during the event between the Project Office for the Development of Tourist Products under the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan and the Umrah Plus International Tourism Association. This document provides for the implementation of joint projects, exchange of experience, and further development of interaction in the field of pilgrimage tourism.
The mechanisms for implementing the Umrah Plus program are enshrined in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 6 dated January 9, 2026. According to this resolution, tour operators attracting tourists from Malaysia and Indonesia within the framework of the program are entitled to a subsidy of 100 US dollars per tourist until the end of 2026.
The founders of the association expect it to become a platform for coordinating international cooperation, expanding interaction with foreign tourism markets, and promoting Uzbekistan as a destination for pilgrimage tourism.