Uzbekistan will lift visa restrictions for citizens from China
News24xx.com - Uzbekistan said Thursday that it will lift visa restrictions for citizens from China in a bid to boost foreign tourism, becoming the first country in former Soviet nation in Central Asia to make the move.
An order signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that Chinese citizens including those from Hong Kong would be subject to a seven-day visa waiver from the beginning of 2020.
Uzbekistan, which does not share a border with China, is the first of the five 'stans' in ex-communist Central Asia to scrap visas for Chinese citizens.
While China is a key trade partner for the region Beijing has often struggled to counter perceptions that it is out to dominate its weaker neighbors via loans and strategic investments.
Uzbekistan has made tourism a priority to reduce its dependence on exports of its natural resources, including natural gas and metals.
The country's star draws are the fabled cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, which were once cultural centers and key points along the historic Silk Road trade routes linking China and Europe.
Uzbekistan's tourism committee has said that annual visitor numbers for 2018 were 5.3 million, double the figure for 2017.
President Mirziyoyev has reversed a number of policies that hampered tourism under his late predecessor Islam Karimov.
Among the restrictions he scrapped was a ban on photography in the capital Tashkent's ornate metro system that had led to police detentions of unsuspecting tourists.
NEWS24XX.COM/DEV/RED
-
Aug 06, 2020 | 05:04 pm LT
Amazing, Lift Bali Hotel in Ubud, has taken the co...
-
Aug 05, 2020 | 03:40 pm LT
Emirates has become the world’s first airline to...
-
Aug 01, 2020 | 12:14 pm LT
Following the New Normal Protocol, Banyuwangi Rege...
-
Jul 30, 2020 | 10:36 am LT
Unique! Usually Served in a Bowl, This Japanese Ra...
-
Jul 25, 2020 | 11:53 am LT
Have a Traveling Hobby, This Man Willing To Leave ...
-
Jul 25, 2020 | 11:10 am LT
Bali is set to open its domestic tourism industry ...
-
Aug 16, 2020 | 05:06 am LT
Attack of Racism; Give Salute in the style of Nazi...
-
Aug 09, 2020 | 11:50 am LT
Viral Story of an old woman in Indramayu who almos...
-
Aug 09, 2020 | 10:55 am LT
Mark Zuckerberg has joined the world's most exclus...
-
Aug 09, 2020 | 10:45 am LT
Revealed! It turns out that this is the origin of ...
-
Aug 09, 2020 | 10:42 am LT
Severe! A Woman in South Tangerang is Raped After ...
-
Aug 09, 2020 | 09:34 am LT
Dor! This Man's Intestine Explodes After Eating A ...