BEIJING, August 11. /Dunyo IA/.  Leading tourism magazine “Target” has published an article entitled “Uzbekistan's tourism industry has the fastest growth rate in Central Asia”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Publication notes that, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research 2026, Central Asia was the world’s fastest-growing tourism region in 2025.

WTTC conducts its research by dividing the world into 13 major regions. According to the results for 2025, Central Asia ranked first globally in several key indicators of Travel & Tourism development. At the same time, Uzbekistan led among Central Asian countries across all these indicators, the magazine emphasizes.

In 2025, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism to Central Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 17.7 percent, while the sector’s direct economic contribution grew by 19.6 percent. International visitor exports in the region reached $9.9 billion, an increase of 26.4 percent year-on-year. Central Asia also ranked first in the world in terms of the growth rate of this indicator. Nearly half of the region’s total international visitor exports were generated by Uzbekistan, which recorded $4.8 billion in tourism exports in 2025, the publication writes.

Article notes that, according to WTTC data for 2025, Uzbekistan was the most preferred tourist destination among Central Asian residents.

According to the publication, Uzbekistan’s leading position is attributed to its rich historical and cultural heritage and strong appeal to tourists from countries across the region. “Overall, these figures confirm the intra-regional nature of tourism: Central Asian residents most often travel within their own region”, the report states.

In addition, WTTC points to the significant potential for creating an integrated tourism space in Central Asia. According to the organization’s experts, simplifying border procedures, expanding air connectivity and transport and logistics infrastructure, developing joint tourism routes, and promoting Central Asia as a single tourist destination can contribute to increasing international tourist flows from other regions of the world, the article notes.

According to the report, in 2025, international visitors accounted for 64.3 percent of total tourism spending, while 35.7 percent was generated by domestic tourism within the countries of the region. Among international visitors, 84.5 percent of spending was related to leisure travel, while 15.5 percent was associated with business travel.

According to WTTC projections, by 2036, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism to the economy of Central Asia is expected to reach $29.7 billion, “Target” magazine concludes.