Work

Independent Travellers in Uzbekistan: Visa Openness Index, Service Priorities and Infrastructure Gaps

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Independent travel is one of the fastest-growing segments of international tourism, yet its institutional determinants remain under-researched in emerging destinations. This study empirically assesses, using the case of Uzbekistan, how visa policy openness and the tourism service ecosystem influence the flows of independent travellers and the dynamics of international arrivals. For the period 2015-2024, a Visa Openness Index (VOI) was developed for 12 countries: visa-free length-of-stay provisions were coded into ordinal indicators and normalized to a 0-1 scale using cosine similarity against an ideal benchmark vector. Subsequently, a random-effects panel regression model was estimated for 11 countries to evaluate the relationship between the dynamics of the visa-free regime, VOI and arrivals, while controlling for time effects and external shocks. The results reveal substantial cross-country variation in openness levels and confirm that Uzbekistan’s VOI is approximately 0.84, among the five most open in the sample despite its low passport power. The regression estimates indicate that an expansion in visa-free regime coverage exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on arrivals (β ≈ 0.0097; p < 0.05), whereas pandemic and crisis factors reduce flows. At the micro level, a Delphi process involving 15 experts assessed the importance of 31 service elements for independent tourists and identified digital information services (GIS applications, Wi-Fi, infokiosks), online booking, affordable accommodation, local mobility and parking and charging infrastructure as priority gaps. By integrating macrolevel visa policy and micro-level service priorities, the study shows that visa liberalization raises arrivals only where the service ecosystem can absorb the additional demand, offering practical guidance for destination managers in emerging tourism economies.

Source: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites

DOI: 10.30892/gtg.67335-1847

Authors: Mukhriddin KILICHOV, Kamol YULDASHEV, Nutfillo IBRAGIMOV, Lóránt Dénes DÁVID

Institutions: Bukhara State University, John von Neumann University

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $204