Publication Details
Abstract
Growth in tourism infrastructure does not necessarily proceed at the same pace as growth in the services it delivers. This paper compares Samarkand Region’s shares of Uzbekistan’s tourism capacity and tourism activity, using official 2024 and 2025 statistics for all 14 first-level territorial units. Shares, relative intensity ratios and Herfindahl–Hirschman concentration indices were calculated within consistent statistical coverage. In 2024 Samarkand accounted for 19.38% of the country’s tour firms but only 3.13% of the persons they served. Persons served per firm were 428.5, against a national mean of 2,655.3 (ratio 0.161) and a regional median of 790.9. Persons accommodated per hotel room were 64.9, against 75.2 nationally (ratio 0.862); this ratio is not an occupancy rate. Firm activity was strongly concentrated across regions (HHI 3,222 for firm numbers and 4,692 for persons served), and the national per-firm mean was dominated by two units. In 2025 the number of persons served by Samarkand firms rose by 212.5%, while the national total rose by only 0.45%, lifting the region’s share to 9.73%. In the broader all-facility accommodation series, Samarkand’s share of persons accommodated (17.13%) exceeded its share of rooms (13.74%). A single year of data therefore cannot support conclusions about persistent regional under-performance. Room-nights sold, available room-nights, service type, prices and local procurement should be monitored together with counts of establishments and rooms.