Dear MEL Topic Readers,
'It risks becoming a Venice in the desert': The dark side of Uzbekistan's tourism boom
Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia and is famous for its historic cities. Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia. It was rebuilt as a model Societ city after the 1966 Taskent earthquake. Samarkand prospered from its location on the Silk Road between China, Persia, and Europe. It is known as a center of Islamic scholarly study and has many historical monuments, including Retistan Square. Bukhara is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact with Muslim architecture, a massive fortress, and bazaars. Khiva is a desert oasis and a well-preserved example of medieval walled city planning. Old towns like Bukhara and Khiva had been living organisms of residents and visitors in and around the fortress until recently. Now, Uzbekistan is working on increasing the number of tourists from 6.6 million in 2023 to 15 million in 2030 through new attractions, hotels, and services. For example, five-star hotels and a large leisure complex are being built in and around Bukhara where city dwellers lived for centuries. Will these Silk Road cities become popular, over-crowded tourist destinations where tourists just visit popular places to take photos and shop for imported mass-produced goods?
Read the article and learn about how Uzbekistan is changing.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250207-the-dark-side-of-uzbekistans-tourism-boom
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