Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 6
By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on Dec.5 on creation of a free tourist zone "Charvak".
The document is aimed at developing the tourist potential of the Tashkent region, creating favorable conditions for attracting foreign and local tourists to the region, developing modern infrastructure and improving the quality of tourist, hotel and transport services.
The first free tourist zone in Uzbekistan is created within the Chimgan-Charvak resort and recreation zone. In its territory there will be modern hotel complexes, cultural and recreational, shopping and entertainment and other tourist facilities, as well as objects of modern engineering infrastructure.
The decree provides for the creation of unique tourist routes, taking into account the possibilities of the region's eco-environment, ensuring the availability of vehicles, the introduction of new types of traffic in the region (train, train, bus), including alternative sources of energy, the expansion of passenger transport routes and the development of an appropriate transport infrastructure.
Furthermore, there will be created additional conditions for the safety of tourists' stay, including by equipping tourist infrastructure facilities with video surveillance systems, organizing warning systems, implementing a single information database on tourists arriving in the territory of the region, and providing emergency assistance in emergency situations.
The free tourist zone as one of the types of free economic zones will be created for a period of 30 years with the possibility of subsequent extension.
The Fund of Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan was instructed to ensure the opening of a preferential credit line worth $ 100 million to co-finance investment projects implemented in a free tourist zone, including the provision of flexible loan and interest repayment terms.
The National Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs, Uzpromstroybank and Asaka Bank were granted the right to participate in investment projects implemented on the territory of a free tourist zone with a bank share of up to 100%, including through investment banks.
In Tashkent operate120 organizations providing services to local and foreign tourists, including 15 tour operators and 45 hotels with the possibility to serve 2440 tourists a day, as well as 71 sanatoriums and a recreation area.