Uzbekistan welcomed 2.8mn foreign tourists from January to May, marking a 9.6% y/y increase, according to the national statistics agency.
The gain of 248,200 visitors shows the country's growing appeal as a travel destination as officials push international marketing campaigns to expand and diversify the tourist intake and also work on bringing tourism infrastructure up to international standards.
The top five countries of origin for tourists were Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.
Tourists from Tajikistan topped the list, with 871,500 visitors, closely followed by Kyrgyzstan with 857,000. Kazakhstan contributed 498,200 tourists, while Russia and Turkmenistan accounted for 289,600 and 53,800 visitors, respectively.
Turkey, India, China, Italy and South Korea also contributed to the influx of tourists, with 42,100, 23,200, 22,800, 15,300 and 15,100 visitors, respectively.
An additional 148,700 tourists came from various other countries.
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