Community Based Tourism Development in Zaamin district

community-based tourismdevelopment

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Uzbekistan

Local Governance Support Project: Participation and Partnership

Z A A M I N

About Zaamin Located in the mountain area of Djizak region Altitude: 2500 meters above the sea level Population: 153,500 people Area: 2,86 thousand square km Forest: 16828 hectares

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Zaamin – touristic potential

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Picturesque mountainous ecosystem

Fresh and healthy air

Endemic flora and fauna of Zaamin National Park and State Reserve

High recreational value

Cultural diversity : mix of sedentary and nomadic civilizations

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Zaamin before UNDP involvement

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• Low economic potential

• Massive unemployment

• Local people in Zaamin are known to be inert (therefore, project started targeting active women first)

• Touristic potential was not fully explored, yet Zaamin was nominated to UNESCO world heritage list in 2008

• Most visitors came from neighboring regions, low awareness in Tashkent

• Tourism season – 3 months (only summer) – limited to health tourism

Policy advice (scalability)

Capacity building (supply side)

Infrastructure development

Branding of territory (demand

side)

How area-based development approach was

applied by UNDP in Zaamin?

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Policy advice

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Public-Private

Partnership Analysis

Joint Action Plan with partners

Touristic Sector Analysis

(pros & cons)

Aligning to Government

programme on tourism

development in Djizak region

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Capacity building

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Skills training courses

Over 50 families, entrepreneurs attended special courses on guesthouse business10 Tour-guides were trained among local people

Over 8 cultural and entertainment programmes were developed,

provided at guest houses

Organized study tours to guest houses in Tashkent and Farish (linking with GIZ experience), dots connected between local guest houses, tour

operators in Tashkent, MFA etc

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Infrastructure development(UNDP’s efforts)

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Upgraded sanitary conditions in 5 guesthouses

Installed information banners and roadside signs

Investment proposals on construction of facilities

in Zaamin National Park

Developed tourist routes Designed 3 yurts as souvenir shops

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12 guesthouses & 1 mini hotel are established

Roads are being upgraded

350 m Alpine ski track constructed Tourism Association was established

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Infrastructure development(Spin-off effect)

Branding of Zaamin

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Developed branding and marketing

strategies

Original Logo & slogan

Public service announcement

- Juniper tree- Mount stone- Bushes- Bird (Grosbeak)

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Branding of Zaamin (cont.)

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Organization of info-tours for media and tour operators

Participation in international fairs & events

www.zaamin.uz, social media (Facebook, Twitter etc)

Production of visibility materials and souvenirs with logo

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www.zaamin.uz

Impact

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Increase in # of guest houses (up to 12) Mini hotel Grand Zaamin Increased tourist inflow Additional income source Skilled personnel in hospitality services More visibility in social media Expansion of tourist season, including

winter

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

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Tourism development model of Zaamin presented in other regions of Uzbekistan Navoi, Samarkand, Andijan and Nuratau

Building a partnership between Zaamin and Garmish-Partenkirhen (Germany) Winter tourism development Technical feasibility assessment

Impact (cont)

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Future plans

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Scaling up of the rural tourism development model in other regions

Establishment of partnership between UNDP and NC “Uzbektourism” (MOU)

Wide dissemination of promo materials through National Company “Uzbektourism” and Chamber of Commerce and Industry, etc.

Further trainings for Zaamin’s community entrepreneurs

Raise awareness about historical values of Zaamin (Codifying knowledge on historical site Mihkala)

Further promotion of touristic potential of Zaamin in domestic and international tourist fairs

Further support of www.zaamin.uz

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Challenges

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Administrative and regulatory barriers

difficulty in obtaining licenses by tour operators

difficulty in registering foreign tourists

high entry fees for foreigners to Zaamin National Park and State Reserve

not all national partners have a common understanding of benefits from tourism development in Zaamin

Border zone

Eco-Tour routes cannot be expanded further due to border security regulations

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz

Apart from tourism UNDP did in Zaamin …

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Access to information: Established Information Center within the Khokimiyat of Zaamin district, trained the staff, supplied with ICT equipment

Developed the website of Information center in the social network «ZiyoNet»

Streamlining public administration: introduced Electronic document management system in the Khokimiyat of Zaamin district

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THANK YOU!

www.zaamin.uz www.lgsp.uz