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GASTRONOMY AS THE ESSENTIAL PART OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY:
CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UZBEKISTAN
Jumaeva Dilafruz
Tour guide of the Registon ensemble
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12223339
Abstract.
In this article, issues of promoting gastronomic tourism in Uzbekistan, gastronomic
journalism, gastronomic events, festivals, their role in the development of gastronomic
tourism will be shown. Also, specific problems of gastronomic tourism were pointed out and
several proposals were put forward.
Kеywоrds:
tourism, issues, food, food and drink, cuisine, gastronomic tourism, tourists,
meals, plans.
INTRОDUСTIОN
It is known that the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his
Address to the Oliy Majlis dated January 24, 2020, specifically focused on tourism
opportunities and set several important tasks for the government [1]. This decree of the
President aims to solve the existing problems in the tourism infrastructure, increase the
quality of the provided services and actively promote national tourism products in the world
markets, increase the effectiveness of the reforms implemented in the field of tourism by
strengthening the personnel potential of the tourism network, and sharply increase the
number of foreign citizens entering the republic.
MАTЕRIАLS АND MЕTHОDS
Of course, today's changes in the field of tourism can be evaluated positively, but today there
are some necessary problems in some areas of tourism. In particular, food-related expenses of
gastronomic tourists make up 30-40% [2]. So, it is self-evident that one of the most important
areas of tourism is, of course, gastronomic tourism. Currently, the development of
gastronomic tourism is an important factor of economic growth, because every tourist,
whether he wants it or not, is directly connected with food and drink for his daily needs. At
this point, we have to divide the tourists into two gastronomic types:
- in the first round, tourists organize a direct gastronomic tourism trip;
Gastronomic tourism is a visit of a person or a group from one region to another region or
from one country to another country in order to taste, enjoy or heal from national food and
drinks, as well as to master the production methods, culinary secrets, and cooking
technologies of this product, - we can give a general definition.
- the purpose of the visit in the second round may be different, for example: a sports
competition, visiting holy places, trade cooperation, etc., but the guest does not exclude
gastronomic tourism. If we define gastronomic tourism from this point of view, gastronomic
tourism is the consumption of food and drink products during the visit of people from one
area to another, and to get an idea and information about them.
RЕSULTS АND DISСUSSIОN
Based on this point of view, I think that problems related to gastronomic tourism should be
thoroughly studied and eliminated. Resolving the problems of the development of
gastronomic tourism in Uzbekistan is considered one of the most important areas of the
tourism industry, and knowing that it is appropriate to implement a number of measures to
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develop it, in this regard, we have pointed out several problems that need to be done today,
and our proposal for their elimination, We would like to present our comments:
First of all, it will be necessary to establish cooperation with tourism companies, sales of
gastronomic tours. We have faced many difficulties and economic losses during the pandemic,
which is also a great test for the tourism industry, especially gastronomic tourism, many
restaurants have stopped operating, and food delivery services are not up to the demand, and
this activity is limited to certain areas, more precisely, this thing was launched only in a few
cities. Of course, the supply of food products necessary for daily needs is well established, but
we are not talking about this, but about the services of teahouses, restaurants and cafes. For
domestic and foreign tourism, there are enough problems in contacting kitchens to order food
for home or hotel delivery.
Nutritional problems are not only ours, but one of the global problems of the whole world.
There are people who are always used to buying ready-made food and eating it [3],
considering that the use of the Internet is widespread today, the field of gastronomic tourism
has not yet taken advantage of this opportunity. Currently, if you look at restaurants in remote
rural areas, none can be found online, although tourists can feel the need to eat in any area
while traveling.
Of course, it is necessary for our employees serving in common dining areas to have complete
information related to each meal [4]. For this, it is necessary to increase the number of
commercials of training programs. It is worth actively engaging in promotional activities in
this area. Currently, mass media are not widely used in the field of tourism, in particular,
gastronomic tourism.
In most kitchens, certain rules have not been developed regarding the content of the songs
and shows, their universality (for both young and old), which, of course, also affects the eating
situation.
In order not to disturb guests and make noise in dining areas, it is necessary to make separate
places where strong intoxicating types of alcohol are sold.
We pay more attention to the exterior and interior design of the restaurant than the kitchen
equipment [5]. From this point of view, Uzbek restaurants do not quite match the world
standards. Of course, each of our regions has its own nationalities, but at the same time, I
think that every restaurant should have a general comfort.
Today, there are also problems related to compliance with personal hygiene rules of kitchens
serving domestic and foreign tourists. In particular, there are problems with the general
environment of roadside eateries, their service and quality of food, as well as poor conditions
in canteens located along major highways, and problems with serving food, and most of our
canteens do not follow certain food laws. The fact that many of our restaurants close after
10:00 p.m. sometimes leads to need, of course, there are also 24-hour canteens in our big
cities and on long-distance roads. It would be appropriate if such kitchens were to operate in
the center of each region and district.
Of course, such problems exist in every field, but if our goals and plans are clear and thorough,
every field will make progress and problems will be solved.
Extensive prospective plans are being implemented in the field of tourism [6]. On August 6,
2019, the opening ceremony of the Association of Gastronomic Tourism was held in the
conference hall of the Chefs' Association of Uzbekistan with the participation of relevant
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agencies and media representatives. At the event, a presentation on the purpose, activities
and terms of membership of the association was organized. The purpose of establishing the
association is to organize various events in the field of gastronomic tourism, including
exhibitions, festivals, forums, seminars, scientific conferences, roundtables, contests and other
such events, under the auspices of international grants under the auspices of the association,
on the history, present and future of Uzbek national cuisine. it was emphasized that it consists
in the implementation of various projects serving the development of gastronomic tourism.
According to officials, in order to extend the tourist season in Uzbekistan, the Association
regularly hosts the "Delicious Uzbekistan" international national food festival every
November, regularly attracts international tourist agencies to the festival, and organizes
regional gastronomic tours throughout Uzbekistan within the framework of the event. Also,
awards ceremonies will be held among restaurants and their employees in the categories of
"Best Restaurant of the Year Recognized by Foreigners", "Waiter of the Year", "Restaurant
Manager of the Year", "Head Chef of the Year". Of course, such events will be important for the
development of gastronomic tourism in the future. At this point, I would like to introduce
another new idea, which is that this festival will be held in a comprehensive, pre-staged
manner, first at the district, then at the regional, and finally at the national level, and a list of
the most unique dishes typical of each region will be made, which will be very attractive for
both domestic and foreign tourists.
At the time when the "Museum of Uzbek National Gastronomy" is planned to be opened, this
event will be highly effective. "Uzbek cuisine is one of the main factors that attract foreign
tourists. The establishment of the gastronomic association also envisages the creation and
popularization of the gastronomic brands of Uzbekistan," said Gulnoza Odilova, the chairman
of the association. According to him, the "Museum of Uzbek National Gastronomy" will be
established, which will comprehensively introduce Uzbek cuisine, national dishes and their
history to foreign tourists. International-scientific practical conferences are held to familiarize
international tourist agencies with the activities of the museum. As part of the opening
ceremony, the Association provided information about the restaurants, cafes, common dining
places operating in our country and the facilities provided to their employees.
Of course, our government has not stopped paying attention to the development of the
tourism sector today, in particular, a competition was announced for the allocation of state
social orders to the tourism sector from April 15 to May 18, 2020, and based on the results of
the competition, funds were allocated for the following projects:
It is planned to allocate 200 million soums for the project "Creating a single online platform
for hotel and restaurant employees" of the Association of Gastronomic Tourism of Uzbekistan.
placement, as well as for the purpose of launching the servern.uz online platform, which
allows systematically conducting online webinars with the participation of foreign experts.
СОNСLUSIОN
Gastronomic tourism association and research institute "Mahalla va oila" presented the
"Gastromahalla.uz" and "Restoservis.uz" projects. Here we remind you that the website
"Restoservis.uz" is an online platform created for the improvement of skills and retraining of
restaurant employees, and it is a convenient site that allows remote learning. Undoubtedly,
these initiatives will serve to improve the activities of gastronomic tourism, because
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medicinal and nutritious dishes have been prepared in our country since ancient times, and it
is natural that this process attracts the attention of tourists.
References:
1.
Mirziyoev Sh.M. Address to the Oliy Majlis. http:// www.gov.uz
2.
Handbook on tourism destination branding [Electronic resource]. World Tourism
Organization, Madrid, Spain. 2019.-C. 54-55.
3.
Anne-Mette Hjalager and Greg Richards "Tourism and Gastronomy" London and New
York. 2002. -C. 31-32.
4.
Hayitboev R. Ecotourism. Study guide. SamISI, Samarkand, 2016, 249 p.
5.
https://uzbektourism.uz/uz/newnews/view?id=640
6.
Gastronomic Tourism and Gastronomic Elements of Southeastern Anatolia Region.
Journal of Gastronomy Studies, 3(3), 79–89.
7.
Hayitboev R. Ecotourism. Study guide. SamISI, Samarkand, 2016, 249 p
