The Cabinet of Ministers approved the regulations for the registration of tourist clusters on January 8. The document has been published on Lex.uz.
A tourist cluster is defined as a complex of enterprises that collectively provide services for organizing tours, accommodation, transportation, excursions, and more. The register of clusters will be maintained by the Committee for Tourism under the Ministry of Ecology.
To obtain the status of a tourist cluster, the complex must include an accommodation facility (such as a hotel, etc.) that can host at least 40 guests. There must also be at least one retail point for selling handicrafts and souvenirs.
Additionally, the cluster must offer entertainment services, vehicle rentals, boats, bicycles, riding horses, and more. Clusters can specialize in organizing tours in one of the following areas:
- agritourism (rural tours);
- cultural and historical tourism;
- medical tourism;
- recreational tourism;
- ecotourism;
- ethnographic tourism.
Applications for cluster status are accepted by the regional offices of the Committee for Tourism in either paper or electronic form. These applications must include documentation regarding the services provided within the complex.
Employees of the Committee for Tourism will conduct an on-site inspection of the facility within 7 working days. Following this, a conclusion regarding the compliance of the facility with the criteria must be prepared within 3 working days and submitted to the commission.
The commission will consist of staff from the central office of the Committee for Tourism, as well as representatives from non-profit organizations in the tourism sector. It must make a decision regarding the granting of cluster status to the facility or the denial of such status within 5 working days.
If denied, the commission will provide the applicant with a list of identified shortcomings and recommendations for their rectification. If the decision is positive, the Committee for Tourism will issue the cluster document within 3 working days.
Previously, Spot reported that the route of the tourist train "Zhibek Zholy" has been extended to Samarkand.