Methods of Effective Assessment of Tourist and Recreational Capacity in Uzbekistan

There is a growing focus on tourism as a crucial component of regional development so it is necessary to use proven methods for evaluating tourism and recreation potential. In this regard, this study will suggest an integrated methodological approach for the assessment of tourism capacity on the regional level and apply it to the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan as a case study. Description: The assessment framework is based on a hybrid system and consumer-oriented approach that integrates economic, infrastructural, environmental and socio-economic indicators into a single integral index. Qualitative features were converted to quantitative scores based on a graduated scale, and GIS tools, and expert assessments were used to guarantee the spatial optimization and weighting of indicators. The findings demonstrate high regional differentiation of tourism development: the districts with diversified tourism types and developed infrastructure had the highest scores. It concludes that resource endowment is necessary but not a sufficient condition for successful tourism development and that factors such as accessibility, infrastructure and institutional support play an important role for the realisation of sustainable regional tourism development.