Uzbekistan to Simplify Travel

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for simplifying the procedure for registration of foreign tourists, the press service of the head of state said in a message. Mirziyoyev noted that the current order, according to which tourists must register at the place of residence within three days of arrival in Uzbekistan, creates inconvenience. "A tourist should travel and not go to the institutions of internal affairs. If we want to create jobs through tourism, it is necessary not to impose requirements, but to create conditions for tourists," Mirziyoyev said, Trend News Agency reported. The president gave instructions on the transfer of the registration system to electronic format. Electronic visas should be introduced in Uzbekistan from July 1. "The enormous potential of Uzbekistan in tourism has not been used effectively and fully for many years. Favorable economic and organizational-legal conditions were not created for the development of tourism, work in the sphere was neglected," the press service of the president said. The number of tourists who visited Uzbekistan in 2017 exceeded 2.7 million, which is about 30% more than in 2016. More than 100 hotels launched activity in 2017.