Uzbekistan Plans to Launch Military Tourism and Trips to Abandoned Mines and Factories

Uzbekistan aims to develop unconventional types of tourism – military, geological, and industrial. In particular, travelers will be offered visits to mines, inactive geological and industrial sites, and even the use of military equipment at training grounds. One might wonder, will it be possible to ride a tank or fire a cannon?

The Agency for Strategic Reforms has developed a draft presidential decree on additional measures to develop tourism in Uzbekistan.

The document provides for the introduction of the following new types of tourism from January 1, 2025:

Military Tourism (familiarization with military equipment, providing tourists the opportunity to use it at training grounds, acquaintance with the activities of military personnel, organization of paid services for shooting in military zones)

Geological Tourism (visiting mines, inactive geological and industrial sites, and other objects and zones)

Industrial and Scientific Tourism (visiting production areas of mining and metallurgical plants, industrial sites)

The developers of the document note that military tourism is becoming popular in many countries around the world today. In the USA, Russia, and China, various activities are offered within the framework of military tourism: museum tours, rides on military equipment, shooting from various types of weapons, flights on military helicopters and planes, meals at field kitchens, and overnight stays in open tents at training grounds. These activities allow tourists to immerse themselves in the military atmosphere and gain a unique experience.

For example, in Kyrgyzstan, there is the shooting sports club «Kaplan». At the private range of this club, shooting from combat weapons is allowed (the cost of 30 rounds from a Kalashnikov rifle is $27, 20 rounds from an SVD sniper rifle is $34, and 10 rounds from a Makarov pistol is $9).

The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article.