The Uzbekistan–Indonesia Tourism Forum was held in Jakarta on 2 October under the theme “New Horizons in Bilateral Tourism, Ziyarah and Cultural Connectivity.” The Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek Embassy in Indonesia took part, alongside tourism and Umrah associations, tour operators, travel companies and businesses from both countries. The committee said the meeting was intended to present Uzbekistan’s tourism offer, strengthen company-to-company links and expand practical cooperation in pilgrimage travel.

Presentations highlighted Great Silk Road cities and Uzbekistan’s Islamic heritage. Participants considered pilgrimage routes associated with the legacy of Imam al-Bukhari, Imam al-Maturidi, Imam al-Tirmidhi and Bahauddin Naqshband. A central topic was “Umrah Plus Uzbekistan,” which combines the Umrah pilgrimage with visits to historical and pilgrimage sites in Uzbekistan. Under the arrangement described by the committee, eligible tour operators bringing visitors through the programme will receive a subsidy of US$100 per tourist until the end of 2026. The announcement did not provide detailed application requirements or the total budget for the incentive.

Government-to-business and business-to-business meetings covered joint travel packages, promotion of pilgrimage routes, cooperation among tour operators and ways to attract more visitors from Indonesia to Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan signed cooperation memorandums with the Indonesian associations AMPHURI and ASTAGATRA. Participants also discussed contacts between Indonesian partners and Centrum Holidays, Xorazm Umra Jamiyati, Family Mandarin, Musaffo turizm xizmati, Ziyarah Travel Official and BAIA Transport. These are business connections considered at the forum; the announcement did not report a signed air route or a completed joint package.

The sides also discussed the possibility of launching direct air services between Uzbekistan and Indonesia. The committee described this as an issue for discussion and announced neither an approval nor a start date. Direct connectivity was a separate enabling topic for packaging travel; the announcement should not be read as saying that a new route has begun. The Jakarta meeting therefore centred on an incentive, commercial links and a possible transport option, while setting no quantified target for tourist arrivals.

The committee’s earlier results for the first half of 2026 provide context on the national sector. From January through June, Uzbekistan received 6.6 million international tourists, tourism-service exports reached US$2.8 billion and the domestic “Travel Around Uzbekistan” programme recorded more than 13.4 million trips. The country had 7,364 accommodation facilities, 202,300 beds and 48 tourism villages, according to the same release. These national totals do not show how many visitors came from Indonesia. The forum’s possible outputs are joint products and market connections; no increase in arrivals has yet been reported as a result.