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

Research Goals and Approach 
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Interview with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development (SCTD);
Kyrgyz Ambassador to Uzbekistan cited byAnhor.uz (2019) Aviareys Iz Tashkent do Issyk-kulya Nachnet 
Kursirovat’ s 27 Iyunya, viewed on November 20, 2019  https://www.anhor.uz/news/aviareys-iz-tashkenta-do-issik-
kulya-nachnet-kursirovaty-s-27-iyunya 
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The UNWTO definition of tourists includes a wide range of travel purposes (including visiting friends and 
relatives and other). A broad definition is as follows:
- 
Demand-side: Tourism is defined as the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside 
their usual environment for not more than 1 consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not 
related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. The use of this broad 
concept makes it possible to identify tourism between countries as well as within a country. “Tourism” 
refers to all activities of visitors, including both “tourists” (overnight visitors) and “same-day visitors” (UN 
World Tourism Organization) 
- 
Supply-side: Tourism is “the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the interaction, in 
generating and host regions, of tourists [visitors], business suppliers, government, communities and 
environments”. (Tribe 1997 cited in Fletcher et al., 2018)
Many countries apply this definition in their statistics. Uzbek definition/statistics is aligned with the
UNWTO approach https://www.lex.uz/docs/4428101 
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Those who visit a country in which they do not reside (UNWTO). 
15
Sputnik Kyrgyzstan (2018) Kto Bol'she Vsekh Investiroval v Turizm KR v Proshlom Godu? Otvet Vas Udivit, 
viewed on March 31, 2019, https://ru.sputnik.kg/economy/20180804/1040485312/kyrgyzstan-nacstatkom-turizm-
investicii-otdyh-puteshestvie.html  
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World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2019, Uzbekistan: 2019 Annual Research: Key Highlights, viewed 
on March 30, 2019, https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-
2019/uzbekistan2019.pdf 
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Zhang, X., Song, H., and Huang, G.Q. (2009) Tourism Supply Chain Management: a New Research Agenda. 
Tourism Management, 30(3), viewed on March 30, 2019 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517708002161?via%3Dihub 
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Roberts, B., Wilson, C., Kariyawasam, S.S., and Manoharan, S. (2016) Enhancing Regional Development of 
Tourism Product, Services, and Supply-Chains in Sri Lanka World Bank

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The paper analyzed cross-border tourism value chains between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to 
examine their operational modes and current successful aspects and barriers in the value chains 
in delivering cross-border tourism experience between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It also 
studied cooperation at various level of the value chain. Based on the research findings, 
recommendations were derived for various groups of stakeholders on improving cross-border 
tourism experience. Given the limited availability of quantitative data available as well as due to 
the research purposes, a qualitative research design was pursued. The research employed case 
study, secondary data analysis and key informant interview methods, with data being collected of 
regions of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. (Detailed methodology is described in Annex 1).