Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In recent years, the number of Russian tourists in Uzbekistan has increased fivefold, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a meeting of the Council of Regions.

“I would like to draw attention to one more area – increasing the tourist flow. In recent years, the number of Russian tourists in Uzbekistan has increased fivefold,” the president noted.

According to him, in addition to popular places like Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, routes to the cities of Kokand, Ferghana, Namangan, Karshi and other settlements of Uzbekistan are popular.

“In parallel, there is a growing interest of citizens of Uzbekistan in visiting large historical cities and regional centers of Russia,” added Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

“In this regard, it is necessary to develop new joint programs and tourism products. There is huge potential here. In addition, there are regular flights between all our major cities,” the president emphasized.