Uzbekistan’s tourism targets are well known: President Mirziyyev has repeatedly stated that he aims to attract 15 million international arrivals a year by 2030, which represents a more than 100% increase from 2023. More valuable metrics for the economy, however, are the financial contribution that travel and tourism (T&T) make to gross domestic product (GDP); and, in parallel, the number of high-quality jobs that the sector creates. It is estimated that by 2033, T&T will account for 290,885 direct jobs in Uzbekistan (almost 2% of total employment, and 60,000 jobs more than present), and indirectly support 902,008 jobs (6% of total employment) in related sectors such as construction, supply chains, etc.

One of the major challenges that Uzbekistan must overcome if it is to realise these ambitious goals is to ensure that it has a workforce capable of developing and delivering the products and services which will drive tourism growth. Uzbekistan’s national workforce is increasing by around 250,000 people per year. Although the official unemployment rate has moved between 4.5-6% in recent years, only 41% of the population is classed as economically active, and many of those are underemployed. What is more, tertiary education enrolment is 31.5%, far below the regional average of 80% across Europe and Central Asia, and skills in critical areas are underdeveloped: according to the World Bank, just 15% of the population demonstrates basic competencies in ICT, for example. This means that any effective tourism development strategy in Uzbekistan must include a substantial education component, to train a workforce with the knowledge and practical skills which businesses desperately need.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has established a small number of high-quality educational institutions delivering programmes in tourism and hospitality. Samarkand’s Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage is a prime example, with impressive facilities and faculty which attract students from abroad as well as from across Uzbekistan. However, Silk Road University can only educate 450 students at any one time. Although it may be able to scale up, the model needs to be replicated many times nationwide to meet demand for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and it needs to be accompanied by adequate vocational training, including for those who are already employed in the tourism workforce but need to increase and broaden their skillset. After nearly two decades of work in tourism in Central Asia, with partners in both the public and private sectors, I have three priorities for tourism education reform and expansion in Uzbekistan.

Firstly, there needs to be an increase in the number and variety of available courses, and in enrolment. Educational institutions must offer short courses, evening courses, and hybrid and online courses, in addition to conventional 9-5 in-person teaching, so that students can choose flexible options that fit around their professional and family commitments. These courses need to be well marketed, accessible, and affordable, so that high achieving school students, graduates, and others with foreign language skills are inspired to consider a career in tourism, and engage enthusiastically with tourism training.

Secondly, we have to recognise that most tourism and hospitality course curricula in Uzbekistan are not fit for purpose and require a dramatic overhaul. New curricula need to be developed with input from the private sector and relevant associations (for example the Hoteliers Association of Uzbekistan, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association) to ensure that students learn skills the industry needs, and thus are employable on graduation. There needs to be a shift away from predominantly classroom-based learning to practical tasks, problem solving, and creative thinking, combined with intensive foreign language and digital skills training. To deliver this curriculum, institutions will have to modernise their facilities, including creating model hotel rooms and kitchens for simulation activities; and upskill teaching staff, many of whose own experience is outdated. Curricula should not be viewed as static, but should be regularly updated in response to industry and student feedback, keeping up with industry trends and real-world demands.

Lastly, tourism and hospitality education needs to be much better integrated with the private sector. Site visits to hotels and tourist attractions, industry placements and work experience, classes taught by industry professionals, and one-to-one mentoring should be core training components. Students need exposure to how the tourism sector really works, so that they can understand where and how they might fit within it. They need to be able to network with tourism professionals so that they can learn from them and increase their employability. And they need to meet actual tourists, to be reminded why they want to enter the tourism sector, to increase their cultural competencies, and to practice the skills they will need to enter the tourism workforce and be productive and successful.

If there is a mismatch in the supply of and demand for skills, Uzbekistan’s tourism sector will not be able to grow and realise its potential for delivering economic growth and jobs. Too often, the tourism and education sectors are regarded separately, without a coordinated strategy to link them together and achieve their shared objectives. This explains the low employment rate of existing tourism and hospitality graduates, but also the frustration the private sector faces in being unable to recruit staff with appropriate knowledge and skills. With a young, confident, and increasingly outward looking population that is proud of its national identity and welcoming of foreigners, and great but as yet underutilised natural and cultural assets for tourism, the Uzbek Government owes it to its people to ensure that the missing piece in the tourism jigsaw — rigorous, relevant education – is a top priority.

by Sophie Ibbotson