METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES OF CREATING AN ASSESSMENT MAP OF THE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF THE TASHKENT REGION OF UZBEKISTAN

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the issues of creating assessment maps of the tourism potential of the Tashkent region of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The analysis of the role of tourism at the regional level is considered from the point of view of opportunities for its development in the territory. This study is aimed at geoinformation mapping of tourism potential, depending on a number of factors affecting the development of the industry in the region. Based on the information obtained from the analysis of existing opportunities, the issues of using geoinformation systems to identify the territorial distribution of opportunities and limitations of tourism development in the region have been resolved. The article also discusses the issues of developing a geodata database for spatial analysis. Visualization of 3 thematic maps is aimed at determining the tourist potential of the territory of the Tashkent region. On the basis of geo-information extracted from spatial and non-spatial data, criteria for assessing tourism potential have been developed and a three-stage scale has been adopted. The tourism potential assessment map was created by spatial analysis of geodata of selected factors. The result is a spatial assessment of regions with high, medium and low potential in terms of tourism development opportunities. The map of the assessment of the tourist potential of the region can be used to find ways to eliminate them and plan the development of the territory.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В данной статье рассматриваются вопросы создания оценочных карт туристического потенциала Ташкентской области Республики Узбекистан. Анализ роли туризма на региональном уровне рассмотрен с точки зрения возможностей его развития на территории. Данное исследование направлено на геоинформационное картографирование туристического потенциала в зависимости от ряда факторов, влияющих на развитие отрасли в регионе. На основе информации, полученной в результате анализа существующих возможностей, были решены вопросы использования геоинформационных систем для выявления территориального распределения возможностей и ограничений развития туризма в регионе. В статье также рассматриваются вопросы разработки базы геоданных для пространственного анализа. Визуализация 3-х тематических карт направлена на определение туристического потенциала территории Ташкентской области. На основе геоинформации, извлеченной из пространственных и непространственных данных, были разработаны критерии оценки туристического потенциала и принята трехступенчатая шкала. Карта оценки туристического потенциала была создана путем пространственного анализа геоданных по выбранным факторам. Результатом является пространственная оценка регионов с высоким, средним и низким потенциалом с точки зрения возможностей развития туризма. Карта оценки туристического потенциала региона может быть использована для поиска путей их устранения и планирования развития территории.

Keywords: Tashkent region, Uzbekistan, Tourism potential, assessment map, GIS.

Ключевые слова: Ташкентская область, Узбекистан, Туристический потенциал, оценочная карта, ГИС.

Introduction. The state strategy of Uzbekistan, planned until 2030, presents a sequence of works to further increase the potential of tourism. According to this strategy, by 2030 it is planned to increase the number of foreign tourists by 15 million, increase the number of domestic tourists to 25 million, and increase the number of visitors in the field of pilgrimage tourism by 3 times. Tourism development programs involve the creation of large tourist clusters, an increase in the number of guest places by at least 2 times, the construction of 25 cable cars in the highlands, and an increase in the number of tourist settlements to 175. As part of the planned work, 2 girder roads were built and commissioned in the tourist mountain areas of Zamina and Navoi at the end of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. According to this Program, the key factors and necessary prerequisites for future development are highlighted, as well as the main mechanisms contributing to the development of the industry. One of the important tasks is to increase the potential of the territories. In the development of the economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the tourism sector is of great importance due to its impact on employment, an increase in the inflow of currency into our country, an increase in the moral level of people, and an improvement in the activities of economic and social organizations. In Uzbekistan, this indicator is implemented by comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of life and health of tourists and guides in hotels while visiting tourist sites. According to official statistics, the number of tourists who visited Uzbekistan in 2014 amounted to more than 1 million, in 2023 this number exceeded 5 million. The number of foreign tourists reached 80% of the previous level after the pandemic period. In Europe and the Middle East, the recovery rate compared to the first quarter of 2023 was 66%. The opportunities between tourism and international development have long been recognized. Tourism is considered [Gössling & Scott, 2024] not only as a service sector, but also as a reflection of the internal and external relations of the state, an economic and social resource. [Korstanje, 2024] notes the role of global tourism in the pace of its development in countries in the immediate vicinity, which illustrates new patterns in the behavior of travelers. While in the 1950s, Birzhakov points out [2000], tourism was seen as a modernization strategy designed to help newly independent countries create jobs and earn foreign currency, in the 1970s and 1980s tourism was widely criticized by sociologists as an industry dominated by large corporations. But from the late 1980s to the present, some scientists [Gössling & Scott, 2024; James et al., 2023] have focused on the possibilities of achieving more equitable and sustainable tourism development. Analyzing the research on the role of tourism on a global scale, attention is drawn to the desire to find solutions to existing social and economic problems. Researchers [Scheyvens, 2024; Sharma & Martini, 2024; Uhodnikova, 2024] emphasize the connection of tourism with other development paths. According to d'angella, De Carlo [2024], tourism is a tool for addressing sustainable development issues. Rogerson, Rogerson [2024] emphasize the importance of exploring the potential of tourism, providing products, services or interests also for a small group of people as the antithesis of mass tourism. The geography and cartography of tourism helps to study the tourism potential of each country depending on its geographical location [Gulyamova et al., 2023] and, as the researchers emphasize [Dube, 2024; Guia, 2024; Klepej, 2024], use it in the development of the industry in connection with changing conditions caused by climate change. According to [Rickly et al., 2023], the close dependence of tourism research on the concepts of tourism geography determines the potential for future empirical and conceptual research. The spatial aspect of tourism research makes it possible to identify the potential for its development. An example is the study [Blanco-Romero, Blázquez-Salom, 2023] of Spain, which reveals the uneven spatial distribution of tourism and an unused resource in rural areas. The development of an algorithm or methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of strategic and territorial planning health systems at all levels of government, as shown by [Panin et al., 2023], demonstrates the advantages of geoinformation analysis. The possibilities of geoinformation modeling in research [Tikunov, Gaidukov, 2023; Tikunov et al., 2023] are an effective tool in forming an assessment of the socio-economic conditions of the territory's development. Geoinformation research according to researchers [Panin et al., 2014; Stelmach, 2016] are the main mechanism for planning the organization of tourist zones and tourist sites and an instrument for effective management of recreational and tourist activities. The need to improve scientific geoinformation approaches in tourism research is noted by researchers [Mironova, 2023; Miadzelets, Luzhkova, 2022; Tukhliev, 2020]. Miadzelets, Luzhkova [2022, p.84] point to "a methodological and substantive deficit that prevents the solution of environmental and educational tasks of protected areas", and "the lack of a unified information technology platform that ensures integration into a centralized data system in Uzbekistan" was noted by Tukhliev [2020, p.35]. New opportunities for geoinformation research have emerged due to the development of the Internet and mobile platforms. Their role as "a means of creating and sharing content through one or more ways of interacting with space, place and the environment" is pointed out by Mingming Cheng [2024]. As a source of geodata, online platforms also provide tools for researching the conditions of tourism development. Panin et al. [2014, p.573] emphasize the expediency of using GIS technologies as an information resource and mass media about unique and extremely significant territories from the point of view of tourism development. Among the factors determining the development of tourism and its potential, a special place is occupied, as indicated by Mertena & Kaaristo [2024] the interdependence between tourism, transport and mobility.

In order to demonstrate the tourist opportunities and geographical uniqueness of the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan, this study aims to study the socio-economic conditions of tourism development using the example of the Tashkent region. Based on spatial and non-spatial information, the article discusses the use of geoinformation mapping to develop a system for assessing tourism potential. The following are selected as the main factors of tourism development: 1) accommodation of tourist facilities, 2) tourism infrastructure, 3) demographics of the region. Based on the extracted geoinformation, a three-stage rating scale was developed. According to this scale, regions with high, medium and low potential in terms of tourism opportunities were allocated to the territory of the Tashkent region.

Materials and methods. The main data sources for geoinformation mapping are the materials of the Tashkent Regional Statistics Department of the Agency for Statistics under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent Regional Tourism Department. Using the experience of studying the natural and geographical aspects of the Tashkent region for recreational tourism [Gulyamova et.al ., 2023], this study uses the approach of calculating the main indicators based on geodata and assessing the location of tourist facilities, infrastructure and employment of the population as the main socio-economic factors of tourism development. Geodata of outsourcing OpenStreetMap, Google ^* EarthPro, and Yandex Map are used as the basic basis for geoinformation mapping and storage of geometric elements (Fig.1).

Figure 1. Using Online Geodata

The study is aimed at studying the socio-economic opportunities of tourism in the Tashkent region, for which the tasks are set: Formation of a database using geoinformation systems using existing data. Development of relevant analytical cartographic data. Development of a capacity assessment system. Spatial analysis for the assessment of the territory. Visualization of the analysis results. Based on the objectives of the study, information on tourist resources and demography posted on the official website of the Statistical Office of the Tashkent region and data published in the statistical demographic collection for 2023 were used. Data were collected by region, and for the purposes of analysis and evaluation, indicators for the last 10 years were used. The formation of the database is based on three main indicators: 1. By demography and social status: data on the population of the districts; the age of the population; the number of unemployed; changes in the number of urban and rural residents by year; the proportion of people employed in the tourism business. 2. On the development of tourism: the number of jobs created in the tourism sector; the number of foreign and local tourists who visited the territory; the amount of income received from the tourism sector over the past 10 years. 3. Tourist infrastructure: provision of transport; number of consumer services; number and types of tourist facilities. Based on the collected demographic data on the population of the districts of the Tashkent region for 2013-2023 (Table 1), a database was created for spatial analysis and creation of planned maps of population dynamics (Fig.2). Data on the tourism sector of the Tashkent regional Department of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2023 in the context of administrative districts served as the basis for studying the territorial features of the development of this industry and creating a system for assessing the potential of tourism.

Table 1.

Population, thousand people, 2014 - 2023

Figure 2 The scheme of database development

In accordance with the specifics of the study, data on the territory is stored in the vector format of the area, transport lines – in the linear vector format, tourist sites – in the point format.

Results and discussion. When assessing the tourism potential of the Tashkent region, criteria have been developed to create an assessment map of the tourism potential of the region. The following indicators have been identified to assess the tourism potential:

1. Population growth dynamics

2. The share of the working-age population

 3. The share of people employed in the tourism business

4. The number of jobs in tourism

5. The distance from the object to Tashkent

6. Distance from the object to the nearest regional center

7. The density of tourist facilities per 1 sq. km

 8. Distance between tourist sites

 9. Location of objects relative to communication routes

DEMOGRAPHICS AND WORKFORCE. One group of indicators consists of data on demography and labor resources, as one of the main criteria for the potential of tourism development: 1. The share of the district's population in the total population of the Tashkent region (in %), demographic indicators of natural movement (people), internal migration (people) (Fig.3). 2. Labor resources, the share of unemployed to the total number of employed in the economy (thousand people) (Table 2).

Table 2.

Main demography indicators for assessing the tourism potential of the Tashkent region

Figure 3. Map of demography of Tashkent region

(Source: compiled by authors according to the official data of the Tashkent Regional Department of the Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of Uzbekisstan). Note: numbers on the map indicate the districts

Note: on the maps, the numbers indicate the areas: 1. Akkurgan; 2. Akhangaran; 3. Bekabad; 4. Bostanlyk; 5. Buka; 6. Lower Chirchik; 7. Zangiata; 8. Higher Chirchik; 9. Kibraysky; 10. Parkent; 11. Pskent; 12. Middle chirchik; 12. Chinaz; 13. Yangiyul; 14. Tashkent. The results of calculations of the distribution over the territory of some indicators are shown in Fig. 4

Figure 4. Employment in the tourism

(Source: compiled by authors according to the official data of the Tashkent Regional Department of the Agency on Statistics, 2023).

An essential indicator for assessing the potential of tourism development is the ratio of jobs created in this industry to the total number of jobs, in % (Fig.5).

Figure 5. Map of employment in tourism of Tashkent region 

 (Source: compiled by authors according to the official data of the Tashkent Regional Department of the Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of Uzbekisstan). Note: numbers on the map indicate the districts

One of the indicators of tourism potential is the number of visits to tourist sites: 1) The number of foreign, 2) domestic (from other regions of Uzbekistan), 3) local (residents of the Tashkent region) tourists who visited tourist sites of the Tashkent region (people) in 2023 (Table 3). Mathematical and statistical analysis of data on tourist visits to certain areas shows that the spatial distribution of these data is significantly uneven (Fig. 6). It is noteworthy that tourists from other regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan predominate in the number of visits. The number of tourists from abroad and residents of the Tashkent region is insignificant. In 2023, the number of local tourists who visited Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region for the purpose of tourism amounted to 1,677,169 people, which is the highest figure in the region, the number of foreign tourists - 125,336, the number of local tourists - 208,957 people. This area is located in a foothill and mountainous area, characterized by a variety of natural landscapes and a comfortable climate. The Parkent and Akhangaran districts are also located in similar natural and climatic conditions and are mainly the object of recreational tourism. The Zangiata area is the most visited by tourists as an object of rapidly developing pilgrimage tourism. These three districts differ significantly from other districts and have high potential for further development and investment in this industry.

Figure 6. Number of visits to tourist sites in the Tashkent region in 2023

 Source: compiled by the authors based on the materials of the Tashkent Regional Department of the Committee for Tourism under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Accessibility of tourist facilities. The next group of indicators characterizing the potential of tourism is related to the possibilities of transport accessibility, the placement of facilities on the territory: 1. The "Distance" indicator: 1) the distance to the city of Tashkent; 2) the distance to the center of the district; 3) the distance from one object to another object; 4) the distance to the communication routes using the spatial analysis method. 2. The indicator "Density of objects": 1) the number of tourist sites in an area of 1 sq. km. Online information about the distance and the conditions of transport were obtained with the help of online services Google *, Bing and OpenStreetMap. In order to calculate how much time tourists, spend on the road during their trip, the distance between the district centers of the Tashkent region and the city of Tashkent was analyzed. According to calculations, the distance to Tashkent from the district centers of the Tashkent region is divided into 3 groups: 1) less than 30 km; 2) 30-100 km; 3) more than 100 km. The average distance from tourist sites to the nearest regional center is 11 km. There are three main groups of accommodation relative to the district center: 1) less than 10 km; 2) 10 – 50 km; 3) more than 50 km. The average density of tourist facilities in the territory was 5 units per 1 sq. km. Three main groups: 1) 4 – 5; 2) 2 – 3; 3) 1. The distance between objects is represented by 3 groups: 1) less than 1 km; 2) 1-5 km; 3) more than 5 km.

Table 4.

Indicators of access for visiting tourist sites

Figure 7. Accessibility of tourist sites (Source: compiled by the authors)

Based on the fact that the goal was to create a 3-point system for assessing the potential of tourism, 3-step scales were adopted for calculations and visualization to build appropriate maps. This makes it possible to simplify the process of allocating territories with similar conditions and drawing up an assessment map by combining maps of the region's population, the dynamics of the development of the tourism sector, and the placement of tourist infrastructure facilities. To assess the potential of tourism, a 3-point scale has been adopted, which takes into account a number of main factors affecting the development of tourism (Table 5).

Table 5.

Indicators of potential for visiting tourist sites

Figure 8. Map of assessment of tourism capacity of Tashkent region. (Source: compiled by authors)

Conclusions.  As a result of the conducted research, it was possible to solve a number of tasks: 1) Integrate non-spatial statistical data and geodata from open sources posted on the Internet to form a database on tourism in the Tashkent region. 2) To develop a system of potential assessments based on the analysis of the spatial distribution of the main factors determining the potential of tourism development: a) demographics and labor resources: b) facilities visited by tourists; c) accessibility of facilities. 3) Using the methods of spatial analysis and mathematical statistics, identify areas with high, medium and low potential. 4) The received map was compiled for the first time for the Tashkent region. Its practical significance lies in the fact that a methodology has been proposed based on the analysis of a large number of data, areas for which there are reserves for tourism development have been identified. The scientific significance lies in the use of geoinformation mapping to create an assessment map of tourism based on the developed system of indicators.

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*(По требованию Роскомнадзора информируем, что иностранное лицо, владеющее информационными ресурсами Google является нарушителем законодательства Российской Федерации – прим. ред.)