Analysis of Cooperation in the Tourism Sector between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan: a Study of Cross-border Value Chains

Marketing & 
Information
Visa
Insurance
Transportation
Border
Transportation 
within KR
Registration of 
passports
Accommodati
on
Nutrition
Entertainment
Other
North of KR
Tour operators
Air
Online 
registration
Hotel
Hotel
Tourist guide
Mobile 
operator
Independent 
(Websites of 
resorts)
Rail
Distant 
registration
Café
Grigoriev and 
Semenov 
gorges
Independent 
(Internet 
advertisement
&Social Media)
Bus
Food in 
market
Hot Springs
Independent 
(friends, 
relatives who 
visited 
Kyrgyzstan)
Taxi from IK 
airport 
to/from hotel
Bazaar in 
Cholpon-Ata
Taxi within IK
Fairs in Bosteri
South of KR
Relatives in 
Kyrgyzstan
Services of a 
loader
Taxi/Microbus 
from border to 
destination 
point
Hotel
Food in 
market
Handicraftsme
n fairs
Trade partners
Taxi/Microbus 
within Jalal-
Abad and Osh
Guest houses
Hotel
Arslanbob 
Walnut 
Forests
Arslanbob 
Waterfall
Sulaiman 
Mountain in 
Osh city
In Uzbekistan
In Kyrgyzstan

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during the Soviet Union. The table below shows the Uzbek locations from where people come 
to Kyrgyzstan as well as their trip purposes and source of information about Kyrgyzstan.
Table 1. Visitors from Uzbekistan 
Locations in 
Uzbekistan 
Locations visited 
in Kyrgyzstan 
Purpose of 
visit 
Information about Kyrgyzstan is received 
Fergana, 
Andijan, 
Namangan 
Jalal-Abad, Osh 
oblasts 
Visiting of 
relatives, 
trade, 
tourism
Mostly relatives who live in Kyrgyzstan from the 
period of the Soviet Union until now. However, 
few people travel to Kyrgyzstan through the Uzbek 
tourist companies cooperating with the tourist 
companies based in Osh city
Tashkent 
Issyk-Kul lake
Tourism 
1)Tourist companies 
2)People who used to come to Issyk-Kul during the 
Soviet Union and their families
It should also be noted that the marketing activities of both countries should consist of 
information on the specific tourist products, resorts and areas (e.g. Issyk-Kul lake as well its 
resorts, Arstanbap resort etc., Padysha Ata memorial in Ala-Buka etc.) rather than advertisement 
of the countries in general. These are two neighboring countries that used to be part of the Soviet 
Union and the countries does not need to be advertised to each other.
Winter tourism in Kyrgyzstan among the Uzbek tourists is not popular at all. Around 50 visitors 
from Uzbekistan per year come for skiing in Kyrgyzstan. Thus, the potential of this type of 
tourism is not studied.
In general, the number of visitors from Uzbekistan is increasing each year. The State Border 
Service provided the statistics from 2015 to 2018. Full data for 2019 is not yet available. The 
data separates tourism and private visits. However private visits may include tourism activities as 
well according to the findings of the qualitative interviews.
Table 2. Number of Uzbek citizens who visited Kyrgyzstan from 2015 to 2018 
Source: Kyrgyz State Border Service 
2. Visa 
Up to 60 days Uzbek citizens might be on the territory of Kyrgyzstan without visa; duration of 
free-visa stay of tourists from third countries is dependent on their citizenship as the cost of visa 
itself.