Effective Ways to Develop Excursion Services in the Digital Economy of Uzbekistan

The Digital economy is developing at a fast speed in the tourism, excursion business and it is great to reflect on its' current transformation process by using digital platforms, mobile applications, artificial intelligence, virtual technologies. In Uzbekistan, the development of excursion services digitalisation is considered as one of the strategic directions in national programs for the development of the economy (tourism sector, modernization of tourism complex and quality improvement). However, despite a number of developments in digital tourism worldwide, there is inadequate systematic examination of the impact on the performance and sustainability of excursion services delivered through digital technologies within the national context. This gap will be closed in this paper, which approaches the issue through the analysis of international experience and on going processes in Uzbekistan (analytical-comparative-empiric research). Quantitative data on excursions were analysed as well as policy documents to explore the organisational and economic underpinnings of digital excursion services. Results suggest that introduction of online booking system, artificial intelligence based virtual guide, interactive maps and chatbot services has ease providing the services in efficient manner, reduced operational costs and increased tourist satisfaction. And the development of digital tools for visiting major historical cities (Istanbul, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva), has facilitated the independent planning of trips ad enhanced access to cultural information. The findings show that digitalisation enhances profitability, improves transparency and controls over tourist flows, while operational costs decrease up to 30–40 percent. The paper argues that developing digital infrastructure, enhancing digital skills and increasing public–private partnerships are the key to extracting value from digital excursion services. The adequate realization of these measures, in turn, would contribute to the increase Uzbekistan tourism competitiveness and sustainable development of the tourism sector.