DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM THROUGH ECOTOURISM: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Uzbekistan's tourism sector has expanded rapidly, with the government targeting 20 million international visitors and a doubling of tourism's share of GDP by 2030. This growth raises a strategic question: can volume-driven expansion be reconciled with the conservation of the country's natural and cultural capital? This paper examines ecotourism as a mechanism for sustainable tourism development in Uzbekistan. It integrates sustainable development theory, the triple bottom line, stakeholder theory, common-pool resource theory, the tourism area life cycle and community empowerment approaches into a four-dimensional analytical framework (ecological integrity, economic viability, community benefit and governance). Using official statistics, government decisions and recent academic studies, the paper analyses market dynamics, protected-area expansion and the 2024 ecotourism decree, and assesses policy instruments through an analytical matrix and a SWOT analysis. The findings indicate strong natural capital and political commitment, but also weaknesses in visitor management, benefit-sharing, certification and monitoring. The paper proposes six practical directions, including carrying-capacity-based management, community-based models and a composite sustainability index.