There are few qualified guides in Uzbekistan

At the VII Forum of Guides of Uzbekistan, held on the occasion of World Guide Day, it was noted that on November 30, 2023, an important government resolution was adopted, which approved the regulations for the provision of public services for issuing qualification certificates to guide-interpreters. They can now apply for a certificate of competency and take competency exams in their region.

In most cases, the activities of guides are seasonal. According to current legislation, during the inactive season, guides can send a notification to the tax authorities about the temporary suspension of their activities. In this case, the payment of social tax stops for the period of inactivity in labor activity.

In the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022–2026, within the framework of the “Travel Uzbekistan” program, it is planned to increase the number of local tourists from 12 million, and the number of foreign tourists visiting the republic to increase to 9 million.

“First of all, we need to study the tourism potential,” says Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Kongratebay Sharipov. – Available materials must be translated into 12 languages. In the future, it is important to provide high-quality services to every tourist. To do this, it is necessary to introduce methodological manuals prepared by the Committee on Tourism in higher educational institutions of the industry.

It was noted that the shortage of guides is one of the biggest problems in the tourism sector.

“Visiting historical monuments accompanied by a guide is better than visiting on your own without a guide,” says Barno Mammetova, head of the department of the Research Institute for Tourism Development. – Guides working in the industry are subject to certain requirements. First of all, they, of course, should know 2-3 foreign languages, because in addition to local tourists, foreign ones also come to us. Guides should also be well-versed in history. Today, about 2,500 guides work throughout Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that all of them provide tourists with quality services. We should not forget that guide services are one of the factors determining the quality of tourism. There is always a high demand for specialists who can interestingly talk about the history of the country in foreign languages and equally captivate everyone.

There are about 1,300 places of pilgrimage in the republic. It was noted that it was necessary to determine how to create conditions for foreign guests to perform religious rituals and organize their meals. Qualified specialists and guides are great help with this.

Earlier it became known that it was planned to organize gastronomic and craft streets in eight districts of Tashkent. This was announced at a meeting with the president on the development of industry, services and infrastructure in the capital.

To simplify the implementation of investment projects, Tashkent Invest Company was created last year. It implements projects based on vacant land plots, public-private partnership and renovation projects.