Publication Details
Abstract
Regional tourism potential becomes a strategic driver of expansion if domestic demand is small and regional economies are determined by specialized industries. Drawing from the comparative cases of France, China and Türkiye, this article synthesises transferable policy instruments for developing and the effective use of tourism potential. The aim is to take out a toolkit with potential to adjust on regional contexts in Uzbekistan (Bukhara focused). A qualitative comparative method is employed: cases are mapped along a dimension of governance architecture, including legal and program mechanisms, investment incentives, and shock-recovery measures. Results show three robust mechanisms. First, with having a legally defined coordination operator, multi-actor destination governance enhances statistics, product development, quality control and promotion (Atout France model and Tourism Code anchoring-Fr). Secondly, medium-term programming relative to wider socio-economic outcomes and local demand facilitates scale & agility (China’s programme cycles, cluster / route logic and rapid onboarding modes (for example, online or “cloud” tourism)). Third, incentivising roadmap with some measurable targets promotes earlier investments while making regional product diversification other than flagship hubs (Türkiye tourism encouragement framework and national strategy planning). As for the implications for Uzbekistan, the discussion notes the above four areas that will require adaptation: defining roles across agencies, creation of a regional project pipeline, penetration of digital services (bookings, ticketing, QR code interpretation), and monitoring of congestion and quality. Finally, the article ends with brief recommendations for regional tourism policy design and implementation.