With its tourism industry on the brink amid the coronavirus pandemic, Uzbekistan’s government is offering a $3,000 reward for travelers who catch the disease while touring the country.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree stipulating the travel incentive last week titled “Safe Travel Guaranteed.” Mirziyoyev is hopeful the incentive will jump-start the lagging tourism industry, which is relied upon to bring cash into the country nestled between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
“We want to reassure tourists they can come to Uzbekistan,” Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan’s tourism ambassador to the United Kingdom, wrote in a statement. “The government is so confident that the new safety and hygiene measures being implemented across the tourism sector will protect tourists from COVID-19, that the president is prepared to put money where his mouth is: if you get COVID-19 on holiday in Uzbekistan, we will compensate you.”
The decree comes with stipulations. Tourists are required to be part of a tour group that follows certain hygiene protocols, and the tours will only visit certain sites that have been deemed safe by government officials.
Officials are eager to roll out the plan as the nation has had low infection rates among its own people. Out of the 33 million people living in Uzbekistan, only 17,000 have caught the disease.
Uzbekistan was home to the world’s fourth-fastest-growing tourism market in 2019. The country boasts of offering bountiful natural sites and a mix of recreational activities, including rock climbing and hiking for tourists.
