Perspectives on sustainable development of agritourism in Uzbekistan

抄録

Agritourism can enhance rural development and is a useful alternative activity to increase farm incomes. As a result of rapid growth worldwide, agritourism has become one of the most significant supplementary income sources for farmers. This study examines the development of agritourism in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, using scientific studies and statistical data, which indicate that there are great opportunities for agritourism activities. Increasing the economic potential of the rural areas by introducing innovative activities on Samarkand region’s medium-sized farms (fermers) and ensuring sustainable development is essential. Samarkand has extremely favorable conditions for many forms of tourism, especially agritourism. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to examine the current situation and identify issues influencing the sustainable development of agritourism in Samarkand. Currently, 10 fermers in Samarkand engage in agritourism. We surveyed all 10 of these, and 100 randomly selected fermers in Samarkand that do not carry out agritourism activities. Based on this data collection and analysis using chi-square and t tests, we found significant socioeconomic differences among agritourism and ‘nonagritourism’ fermers. The results also indicated that agritourism is not popular among fermers in Samarkand. Finally, we investigated the general characteristics of fermers in the region, the current state of agritourism, the economic situation of fermers, and challenges in the development of agritourism.