The Times of Central Asia, Bishkek

Uzbekistan, November 14, 2002 [ 19:51 ]
By Zulfia Rakhimova, TCA contributor,

Many Hurdles to Uzbek Tourist Industry

TASHKENT (TCA). Late in October, some 100 tourist firms from 20 countries took part in the Tashkent International Tourist Fair (TITF-2002) organized by the international exhibition company ITE Group PLC (Great Britain) and Itesa-Osiyo (Uzbekistan).

Sitting and waiting for customers

Since last year the number of the fair's participants has grown by 20%, said Edward Strachan, general director of ITE Group PLC for Central Asia and the Caucasus. It was the 8th tourism fair organized in Uzbekistan. Formerly, it was called "Tourism on the Silk Road", but later this name has been forgotten (perhaps something is wrong with tourism along this ancient route). You can judge for yourself: in 1995 the fair in Tashkent gathered representatives of 170 tourist firms from 35 countries, but afterward the number of the participants and the countries they represented has reduced, probably because their participation in the fair was of little use. Another reason was the events of September 11th 2001 after which Central Asia became a dangerous tourist destination because of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan.

"That is not the main reason for a low interest of western tour operators in the Tashkent fair", said a representative of an Uzbek tourist firm (he refused to disclose his name for fear of losing his license). "The situation in Uzbekistan's tourist market was clear to many specialists even before the September 11th events. In my opinion, tourism is an area with much corruption and it's very difficult for foreign travel agencies to work here. Look, who is participating in the fair? Eighty percent are Uzbek firms offering their tourist services. They are just sitting and waiting for customers who do not come. In the previous fairs the participants met, drank tea, and rewrote contracts (knowing that they would remain on paper only), but today they do not want to do even this. They all are waiting for rich Europeans who do not hurry to come here".

A local gathering

Indeed, foreign participants in the fair - the Cyprus Tourist Organization, Turkey's Tourism Ministry, the Universal Tourism Alliance, and the Arabian Travel Agency - are more interested in selling their own tourist products than in buying tours along the Silk Road.

"I do not even know whether it is worth it to stay here tomorrow", said a representative of Kazakhstan on the first day of the fair. "I left my car in a border village of Chernyayevka, in Kazakhstan, since I was afraid of driving in Uzbekistan because of the local police. Who would like to come here from abroad? I do not see any buyers here".

"To be frank, nobody treats this fair seriously", said a local tourism expert whose name is not mentioned for safety reasons. "When I asked the participants about tourist products they offer, they could not give me any clear answer. This fair is just a local gathering of local tourist firms representatives who just meet, drink, and complain about their ill fate".

"The participation in this fair gave us nothing", said an Uzbek representative. "We did not make a single contract with foreign partners because there were none here. We will do business at the London fair".

"Dull and boring", said a representative of Kazakhstan. "The visitors are students only and I do not know who they are. There are a few professionals. Some showed an interest in our products, but how much is it serious"?

The number of the participants in the fair was fairly small. Large stands represented Uzbekiston Khavo Yullari, Uzbekistan's national airlines company, and the Uzbekistan Hotel. Very attractive was the stand of the Sheraton Tashkent Hotel and a large yurt accommodating representatives of a travel agency from Khorezm. There was no one at the stand of Aeroflot (Russia's air company) on the first day of the fair. On the second day, there appeared some posters and some woman who then disappeared. Other air companies participating in the previous fairs - Turkish Airlines, Transaero, and others - did not come this time. "This fair is nothing but an empty sound", said a visitor looking at the stands.

Where are the buyers?

It was promised that 10,000 tourism professionals were to visit this tourist paradise. This expectation was rather exaggerated: the vast majority of the visitors were just passers-by or people who came here to get free posters or to agree on individual tours abroad directly with some western travel agencies.

The new organizers of the fair have changed nothing, said some participants in a private conversation. "The organizer has changed from Uzbektourism to the British exhibition company, but this has not changed the situation", said a participant in the fair. "We are here, but where are the buyers? What is the difference between this fair and those 3-4 years ago? There is almost no difference". A participant from Bukhara said he came to the Tashkent fair after a three-year break. "I do not want to make contracts with old, useless partners, but I do not see any new partners here".

Barriers created artificially

In their advertisement prospect, the organizers were very enthusiastic about tourism development in Uzbekistan, but some experts do not share this opinion. Today nobody can estimate the real contribution of tourism to the national economy since, according to some sources, at least 1/3 of the Uzbek tourist market is outside of official control. Foreigners face problems with carrying things they buy in Uzbekistan through the Uzbek customs, which makes a bad image for the country. As to registration of foreign tourists coming to Uzbekistan at private invitations, this could only be done with a bribe. It may seem that all barriers are created artificially, to help corrupt officials make easy money. But this hits our tourism, our economy, and our state.

Of course, the fair can not resolve the problems of the state (this is not its purpose). Take, for instance, visa arrangement. Signing contracts with Uzbek partners, foreign tour operators would inquire how to get an Uzbek visa, where is the Uzbek embassy or consulate, and if there would be any problems. They would not recommend their customers to travel along the Silk Route. Gloomy and suspicious faces of Uzbek border officials at the Tashkent airport would not please foreign visitors who are used to see smiling faces in other countries. Not all Uzbek border guard and customs officials understand that foreign tourists bring hard currency and investments creating new jobs and prosperity for the country.

Unused potential

Uzbekistan has a huge and unused tourist potential. The country has created a more or less efficient tourist infrastructure (including hotels, transport, and reconstruction of historical monuments) administered by the national company, Uzbektourism. This is the tourism ministry and a commercial tour operator in one agency (a paradox of Uzbekistan's market system). But this agency needs transformation as well, which is the task of the state. Our tourist sector needs advertising to attract foreign tourists to the country, which requires money as well.

Another important issue is servicing. Those who reconstructed the Tashkent Airport did not care about people meeting or seeing off their relatives and friends, as well as about foreign tourists. They have to sit on concrete curbstones outside the heated airport building. Perhaps the airport administration did not find money for comfortable seats?

The Tashkent International Tourist Fair only helps tourist firms selling and buying tourist products to meet other interested paties, but these meetings will be useless if the Uzbek government continues treating tourism as a less-important branch of economy.