Turks are launching an offensive in tourism

Uzbekistan has begun implementing numerous projects to develop its tourism sector. As part of this initiative, many institutions ranging from hotels to conference centers and from airport management to airline operations are being led by Turks. In the Silk Road Tourism Center in Samarkand, out of 8 hotels, 6 are managed by Turks, and Turks also hold management positions at Samarkand Airport and Air Samarkand.

Nevzat Biçer, the Sales and Marketing Director of the Silk Road Tourism Center, noted that the country's tourism vision has evolved significantly over the past 7-8 years, stating, "Uzbekistan boasts highly valuable cities in terms of history and culture such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Tourism investments are a priority in Uzbekistan. The center is a product of the need for creating quality accommodation capacity. It can accommodate up to 2,500 people simultaneously. Within the project, Uzbekistan's largest convention center with a capacity of 3,000 people is also available."

Biçer mentioned that there are currently 40 Turks working at the center, including 18 department managers, and he emphasized that this number is expected to increase further, saying, "We brought our knowledge and experience here."

Flights to increase

Air Samarkand, Uzbekistan's newest airline, began operating flights between Samarkand and Istanbul on March 21. Cemal Topuzlu, the company's General Coordinator, expressed their intention to increase the currently two-way weekly flights between Istanbul Airport and Samarkand to seven, stating, "In addition to this, we are working to fly to destinations such as Sabiha Gökçen, Antalya, Bodrum, and Gazipaşa. Furthermore, we will also fly to Russia, Iran, Dubai, and Jeddah."

Topuzlu emphasized their goal to fly over 500,000 passengers this year with their current aircraft, aiming to accommodate at least 200,000 passengers for at least one night in Samarkand.