ТASHKENT, January 13. /Dunyo IA/. Uzbekistan is implementing additional measures to actively attract tourists from Malaysia and Indonesia under the “Umrah Plus” pilgrimage tourism programme, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the official portal uzbektourism.uz, the relevant resolution was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers in execution of a decree issued by the Head of our State on 9 February 2021, aimed at further developing both domestic and pilgrimage tourism.

According to the document, a “roadmap” has been approved, aiming to increase tourist arrivals from Malaysia and Indonesia to 100,000 visitors by 2026-2027. Until the end of 2026, tour operators bringing tourists from these countries under the “Umrah Plus” programme will receive a subsidy of US$100 per traveller.

Planned measures include organising “Ramadan Eid” and “Qurban Eid” celebrations for Malaysian and Indonesian tourists in Uzbekistan, as well as launching large-scale promotional campaigns in both countries under the brands “In the Footsteps of Imam Bukhari” and “Spend Ramadan in Uzbekistan”. In Malaysian regions with a high Muslim population, special roadshows dedicated to pilgrimage tourism will also be held.

Under the programme, tourist routes will be developed covering Tashkent as well as the Samarkand and Bukhara regions. During the off-season - winter (20 November to 20 February) and summer (July) - participants in the programme will benefit from voluntary discounts on visits to cultural heritage sites, hotel services, dining and other tourism-related services.

In coordination with the Ministries of Transport and Foreign Affairs and the Tourism Committee, Uzbekistan plans to deploy 10 aircraft from domestic and international carriers in the near term. Competitive air routes will also be established, including Kuala Lumpur - Samarkand - Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur - Bukhara - Jeddah - Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta - Samarkand - Jeddah - Jakarta and Jakarta - Bukhara - Jeddah - Jakarta.

Experts note that this comprehensive approach to the “Umrah Plus” programme opens new opportunities to strengthen Uzbekistan’s tourism ties with Southeast Asia and positions the country as an emerging hub for pilgrimage tourism in the Muslim world.