The Need for Greater Diversification of Tourism Products in the Samarkand Region of Uzbekistan

Abstract

Before the Covid pandemic, Samarkand, Uzbekistan was seen as an emerging, exotic tourist destination. This is because of the growing interest in its historical importance and cultural history which was strongly linked with the Great Silk Road. This region was included in a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the name of "Samarkand-Crossroads of Cultures", and was attracting more foreign tourists each year because of its rich history, magnificent architecture, authentic culture and Islamic buildings. However, with the advent of the Covid pandemic, the tourism industry collapsed because its borders were closed to international tourists for a large part of 2020. Only recently, new measures have been implemented to attract international tourists and to make the Samarkand region the tourism hub of Uzbekistan once again. This study used a qualitative research design that involved interviewing 10 tourist operators to determine their opinions about the need for greater diversification of new tourism destinations, assessing their potential and determining the need for the further expansion of tourism development. As a result, several new niche tourism markets were identified that should be developed in order to appeal to different special interest segments of international and domestic tourists.