“We are working to attract tourists from all over the world!” – This statement was made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announcing his estimates for half a million tourists from a rather unexpected country. The statement was made by the Turkish president at a press conference after his official visit to Uzbekistan.
He reminded that in Turkey “tourism has started to recover slowly”, but the current war between Russia and Ukraine risks collapsing again. He also reminded that the two countries are extremely important in terms of Turkish tourism. “We received about 5 million tourists from Russia and 2 million tourists from Ukraine. It was very, very important for us.” But in 2022, this “normal number of tourists” can not be counted on, so efforts are being made to attract tourists from different countries.
Replacements are being sought in various places, from the Balkans to China. Uzbekistan is no exception. “Last year, we had the pleasure of hosting 270,000 Uzbek brothers in our country, during the epidemic. We have set a goal of 500,000 this year, “Erdogan said, not without pathos. However, whether Uzbekistan will turn out to be an exporter of tourists to Turkey, given the country’s poor financial situation, to put it mildly.