FROM TRADITION TO TOURISM PRODUCT: HOW INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE CAN SUPPORT TOURISM IN UZBEKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23647756Annotatsiya
Uzbekistan's tourism sector has come a long way by relying on monuments and prominent places, but today, travelers express an interest in becoming acquainted with the living culture. Thus, this research examines how Intangible Cultural Heritage (i.e. arts and crafts, gastronomy, and performing arts) can be converted into nondeteriorating tourism products. A survey was conducted among tourists visiting cultural places in Samarkand and in the Kashkadarya region, and 210 valid questionnaires were analyzed through multiple regression analysis. It was found that authentic Intangible Cultural Heritage had a considerable positive influence on cognitive evaluations (β = 0.42) and an even higher positive influence on emotional evaluations (β = 0.51) of tourists. Emotional evaluations created satisfaction (β = 0.32), whereas cognitive evaluations did not significantly contribute to satisfaction. Thus, a happy tourist in the sample is not always a repeat tourist. The results may suggest that tour agencies, specialists in tourism, and local craftsmen should develop different tangible products of authentic Intangible Cultural Heritage instead of promoting commercialization of local heritage and preserve the authenticity of it.Kalit soʻzlar
cultural heritage, sustainable tourism, tourism product, Uzbekistan, authenticity, tourist satisfaction, destination loyaltyFoydalanilgan adabiyotlar roʻyxati
[1] Frost, W., & Frost, J. (2012). Heritage. Heritage Marketing: Conflict and Cooperation. Routledge.
[2] Fusaro, A. (2014). Archaeological research on Islamic ceramics in Central Asia (13th-15th centuries). Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology, 8(1), 115-138.
[3] Ochilov, A., & Egamberdiyev, F. (2025). Comparative analysis of cultural heritage preservation in Qashqadaryo and Safranbolu: Implications for sustainable tourism development. Central Asian Journal of Social and Heritage Studies, 4(1), 45-58.
[4] Smith, M. K. (2015). Issues in cultural tourism studies. Routledge.
[5] Su, X., & Teo, P. (2009). The politics of heritage tourism in China: A view from Lijiang. Routledge.
[6] Timothy, D. J. (2011). Cultural heritage and tourism: An introduction. Channel View Publications.
[7] Wang, N. (1999). Rethinking authenticity in tourism experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 349-370. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(98)00103-0
[8] Yoon, Y., & Uysal, M. (2005). An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty. Tourism Management, 26(1), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2003.08.016
[9] UNESCO. (2003). Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention
[10] Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, B. (2004). Intangible heritage as metacultural production. Museum International, 56(1–2), 52–65.
[11] Lenzerini, F. (2011). Intangible cultural heritage: The living culture of peoples. European Journal of International Law, 22(1), 101–120.
[12] Government of Uzbekistan. (2024, December 5). “The Art of Tuning and Performing the Rubab Instrument” was unanimously included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. https://gov.uz/en/madaniyat/news/view/29528
[13] Kazinform. (2019). UNESCO inscribes “Lazgi” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. https://www.inform.kz/en/unesco-inscribes-lazgi-on-representative-list-of-intangible-cultural-heritage-of-humanity_a3594715
[14] Uzbekistan Travel. (2020, December 17). Art of Miniature is included in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/art-miniature-included-representative-list-intangible-cultural-heritage-unesco
[15] Euronews. (2024, October 25). Unraveling the art of silk production in Uzbekistan. https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/10/25/unraveling-the-art-of-silk-production-in-uzbekistan
[16] Dunyo Information Agency. (2026, January 18). Uzbekistan receives a record of 11.7 million foreign tourists in 2025. https://dunyo.info/en/turizm/v-2025-godu-uzbekistan-prinyal-iz-za-rubezha-rekordnye-117-milliona
[17] Bangladesh Monitor. (2025). Rapid Tourism Growth in Uzbekistan in 2025 [based on United Nations Tourism data]. https://bangladeshmonitor.com.bd/en/uzbekistan-sees-rapid-tourism-surge-in-2025
[18] Uzbektourism. (2025, May 29). The villages of “Kainar” and “Bashir” of Kashkadarya region were given the status of “Tourist Villages”. https://gov.uz/en/uzbektourism/news/view/57843
[19] UzDaily. (2023, May 13). Kashkadarya Region hosts the International festival “Ethno and modern fashion week”. https://www.uzdaily.uz/en/kashkadarya-hosts-the-international-festival-ethno-and-modern-fashion-week/
[20] Abirov, V. (2025). The development of bakhshi music traditions of Boysun in the sphere of ethnotourism. Oriental Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1S), 46–51. https://doi.org/10.37547/supsci-ojss05-01S-07
[21] MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589–603.
[22] Cohen, E. (1988). Authenticity and commoditization in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 15(3), 371–386.
[23] Tian, D., Wang, Q., Law, R., & Zhang, M. (2020). Influence of cultural identity on tourists' authenticity perception, tourist satisfaction, and traveler loyalty. Sustainability, 12(16), 6344. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166344
[24] Park, E., Choi, B.-K., & Lee, T. J. (2019). The role and dimensions of authenticity in heritage tourism. Tourism Management, 74, 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.03.001
[25] Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469.
[26] Chi, C. G.-Q., & Qu, H. (2008). Exploring Structural Relationships of Destination Image, Tourist Satisfaction and Destination Loyalty: An Integrated Approach. Tourism Management, 29(4), 624-636.
[27] Prayag, G., & Ryan, C. (2012). Factors Predicting Tourists' Destination Loyalty towards Mauritius: Influence of Place Attachment, Personal Involvement, Satisfaction and Image. Journal of Travel Research, 51(3), 342-356.
[28] Pine, B. J., II & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the Experience Economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97-105.
[29] Richards, G. (2018). Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 36, 12-21.
[30] Kim, S., Whitford, M., & Arcodia, C. (2019). Development of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Sustainable Tourism Resource: Intangible Cultural Heritage Practitioners' Perspectives. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 14(5-6), 422-435.
Yuklab olishlar
Nashr etilgan
Iqtibos keltirish
Son
Boʻlim
Litsenziya
Copyright (c) 2026 Sabina Pardayevna Mirzayeva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.