As a strategic branch of the country's economy, creating favorable economic and organizational and legal conditions for the rapid development of tourism more fully and effectively using the huge tourism potential of the regions, fundamentally improving the management of the tourism network, creating national tourism products and selling them on world markets in order to form and create a positive image of Uzbekistan in the field of tourism:

1. The following should be defined as the target tasks and priorities of the state policy in the field of tourism in the medium-term perspective:

formation and consistent implementation of a holistic concept of tourism development, giving tourism the status of a strategic sector of the economy, diversification of the economy, structural change and sustainable development, which should become the leading force for the rapid development of all regions and interrelated industries in this area to turn it into a powerful tool, to increase the share of tourism in the generated gross domestic product, local budget revenues, to ensure employment, to implement systematic measures to increase the standard of living and quality of the population;

Further improvement of legislation and normative legal framework in the field of tourism activities aimed at creating favorable conditions for the activities of tourism industry subjects, elimination of all obstacles and pitfalls in the development of tourism, visa and registration procedures , simplification of passport and customs control, optimization of the mechanism of state management and market-specific regulation of the tourism sector, implementation of measures to encourage and develop entrepreneurial activity in the tourism branch and development of competition in the market of tourism services, improvement of the statistical accounting system in the tourism sector;

implementation of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of life and health of tourists and excursionists in the organization of tourism services, first of all, in the places where tourists are accommodated, in catering establishments, when moving around the territory of the republic, organizing visits to tourism objects;

rapid development of tourism in the country, more complete and effective use of the existing huge tourism potential, together with traditional cultural and historical tourism, other potential types of tourism — pilgrimage, ecological, educational, ethnographic, gastronomic, sports, treatment-health rapid development of rural, industrial, business tourism and other types of tourism, strengthening the social importance of tourism due to the development of children, teenagers and youth tourism, family tourism, social tourism for the elderly, establishing new tourism destinations in the regions, passporting them, tourism development and implementation of national and regional programs for the comprehensive development of domestic, inbound and outbound tourism aimed at forming unified national registers on destinations and tourism objects;

to expand international cooperation in the field of tourism activity, first of all, with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), reputable international and national tourism organizations of foreign countries — active participants of the regional and world markets of tourism services, universal international regulatory body in the tourism sector of Uzbekistan's participation in conventions and agreements, implementation of international and interstate standards and norms in the practice of tourism activities;

rapid development of tourism industry facilities meeting the needs and requirements of tourists in all regions of the republic — hotels and similar means of accommodation, catering facilities, transport-logistics structures, information centers, cultural and sports institutions, main tourism directions rapid construction and reconstruction of road transport and engineering-communication infrastructure, roadside infrastructure, wide attraction of foreign investors for these purposes;

taking into account the trends of international tourism development and the use of modem marketing tools, developing competitive tourism products and services, developing a strategy for their promotion in the domestic and international tourism markets, organizing and developing a favorable tourism information environment, wide creating a positive image of our country in the field of tourism by carrying out advertising and information activities, opening tourism information centers in the regions of the country and tourism representative offices abroad, actively using the Internet, holding the Tashkent international tourism fair every year;

fundamental improvement of the system of quality training of qualified personnel for the tourism network, especially in the field of management and marketing, training of guides (excursion leaders), regular retraining and upgrading of the employees of tourism activity subjects.

2. To establish The State Committee for the Development of Tourism of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of the National Company “Uzbekturizm”, which is being liquidated.

To designate The State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan as the competent state body in the field of tourism.

The State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan has the following functions:

licensing of tourism tour operators;

Mandatory certification of tour operator services (tourism products) and hotel services provided by the subjects of tourism activity in strong mutual cooperation with the national certification body of the Republic of Uzbekistan, “Uzstandart” agency, including the certification of hotels of various organizational and legal forms determining the classification (of motels);

To carry out the inspection control of certified tourism services in accordance with the mandatory requirements and standards specified in the regulatory documents.

In this case, the bodies for certification of tourism services accredited in the National Certification System of the Republic of Uzbekistan are also the subjects of certification of certain types of tourism services.

Decisions made by the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan within the framework of its powers apply to state and economic management bodies, state authorities and local management bodies, economic entities regardless of ownership forms and departmental subordination is mandatory.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan to make a decision on the organization of the State Committee for the Development of Tourism of the Republic of Uzbekistan within a week.

3. State Tourism Development Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Ministry of Investments and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Sports Affairs, Ministry of Justice, State Customs Committee, State Architecture and Construction committee, the State Committee for Nature Protection, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, authorities of the regions and the city of Tashkent, together with other interested ministries, agencies, and organizations within a period of three months, based on the goals and priorities of the state policy in the field of tourism defined in this Decree, submit to the Cabinet of Ministers the concept of development of the tourism sector in the Republic of Uzbekistan in the medium term, as well as the Program of concrete measures for the implementation of the Concept in 2017 — 2021.

4. It should be noted that starting from January 1, 2017:

only tourism enterprises that ensure the organization of tourism activities — tourism operators, tourism agencies, excursion organizations, tourism firms — are licensed for the right to cany out tourism activities;

when obtaining a license for the right to carry out tourism activities, the existence of a system for ensuring the safety of life, health and property of tourists and excursionists, confirmed by a certificate of tourism services, is a mandatory license requirement and condition;

cancelling the requirement to have a license to cany out activities related to the provision of tourism services in hotels and similar means of accommodation, entities related to tourism activities — hotels, motels, camping sites and such accommodation tourism services provided by such means are mandatory certified. From April 1, 2018, voluntary certification of catering establishments and motor transport establishments specializing in serving foreign tourists will be introduced;

The services of guides (excursion leaders), accompanying guides are provided by employees of individuals or legal entities only if they have a diploma of higher or secondary special vocational education or the direction of guides (excursion leaders) can be carried out after receiving a state model retraining certificate or a qualification certificate issued by the State Tourism Development Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

tourism enterprises have the right to conclude contracts (agreements) on the provision of tourism services to foreign tourists with subjects of tourism activity only if they have a certificate of conformity.

5. Starting from January 1, 2021, in order to create favorable conditions for the visit of foreign citizens to the Republic of Uzbekistan and to simplify visa procedures:

The visa regime shall be abolished for citizens of Vietnam who have reached the age of 55 and are visiting the Republic of Uzbekistan for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 30 days;

The issue of simplifying the visa procedure with certain countries, the list of which may be revised later, depends on the level of development of the bilateral relations of the Republic of Uzbekistan with them, the state of the world tourism market, and what is happening in the field of international and regional security, will be considered depending on the situation.

6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan together with the State Committee for Tourism Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications Development, Ministry of Labor, other interested ministries and agencies:

a) until January 1, 2017:

introduction of single tourist visas issued for 30 days for all countries;

to simplify the procedure for obtaining permits for foreign specialists to work in the field of tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan and to give them benefits for paying taxes on the income of individuals;

b) until January 1, 2021:

to significantly simplify the procedure for obtaining visas, including transit visas, at international airports and at the border crossing points of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

the use of modem information and communication technologies in the process of issuing and issuing visas, including the use of the “online” system for submitting documents and filling out questionnaires for obtaining a visa without visiting the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions of the Republic of Uzbekistan abroad, and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval the proposals on expanding the use of the electronic visa system, which will be introduced from 2021.

7. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the State Committee on Investments are responsible for the promotion of national tourism products and increasing the flow of tourists to the Republic of Uzbekistan and let them impose the obligation to help in its increase.

8. “Uzbekistan havo yollari” National joint-stock company(NJSC) “Uzbekistan temir yollari” JSC together with the border troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the State Customs Committee, the State Committee for Tourism Development:

Until January 1, 2021, at the international airports of the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Urganch, a “green corridor” customs control system, passport and customs control, baggage collection, transport will be introduced for foreign tourists arriving (departing) to the republic, take the necessary measures to introduce a simplified service delivery procedure;

From January 1, 2021, in order to create additional convenience for foreign citizens and speed up the process of passing passport control at the airports and train stations of the republic, they should arrange for residents and non-residents to go through this procedure separately;

to give the employees of tourism activity subjects who welcome or observe foreign tourists the right to enter the buildings of airports and train stations according to the special permits issued in the prescribed manner, in compliance with the requirements of the regime and security measures;

to passengers due to the organization and development of a convenient tourism information space at airports and railway stations, including the operation of tourism information points, tourism navigation system, installation of direction signs and other similar activities, including on a free basis systematically implement measures to improve the level and quality of services provided.

9. The State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications Development and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, should create an automated special electronic program for electronic registration of residents of hotels and other places of accommodation within a month through the Internet.

10. It should be noted that tourism operators who receive tourists, as well as their employees, are exempted from responsibility for violations of the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan by tourists, rules defined in the relevant normative legal documents on the presence of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan are excluded.

11. It should be recommended to the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with commercial banks, to ensure that the tourism infrastructure facilities recommended by the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan are equipped with currency payment acceptance terminals.

12. Legal entities:

from the date of commissioning of certified at least 4-star hotels and motels, they are subject to profit tax, land tax and property tax of legal entities, as well as a single tax payment of legal entities;

Customs for importing equipment, machinery, raw materials, components and spare parts, construction and other materials (including furniture and inventory) for the construction, reconstruction and equipping of hotels and other means of accommodation according to the lists formed in the prescribed manner, be exempted from payment of fees (except customs clearance fees) for a period of 5 years.

It shall be established that no motor vehicle fee shall be levied when registering with the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, until January 1, 2022, newly purchased vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 9 people, intended for the transportation of tourists by subjects of tourism activity, imported into the Republic of Uzbekistan.

13. Decree No. PD-447 of July 27, 1992 of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the establishment of the National Company “Uzbekturizm” shall be deemed to have lost its force.

The State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan and other interested ministries and agencies, should make proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers on changes and additions to the legal documents arising from this Decree within two months.

14. The first deputy prime minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, R. Azimov, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of this decree.