Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The first phase of the Gelon ski resort in Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya Region, being developed in cooperation with Tatarstan, is scheduled to enter service in 2027. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plan on 22 October at a meeting on the region’s socioeconomic development.
Mirziyoyev said Kashkadarya could receive up to 6 million tourists annually. Since the beginning of 2026, the region has welcomed 2.5 million visitors, including 500,000 who travelled to the mountain village of Gelon.
The president also highlighted the tourism potential of other mountain settlements. The villages of Taragay in Chirakchi District, Bashir in Kitab District and Tatar in Yakkabag District could be developed into ethn tourism centres. The mountain rivers near the villages of Sayyod and Suvtushar in Shakhrisabz District offer opportunities for rafting and sports tourism.
Officials have been instructed to prepare a unified tourism master plan within a month covering six villages, including Gelon. Projects worth a total of US$50 million are scheduled to begin on 1 March 2027.
The region will also host annual food festivals. The “Lola va Kabob” (“Tulips and Kebab”) festival will take place each spring in Guzar District, while Kukdala District will hold the “Chiyal Yakhna” festival.
The international, year-round Gelon resort is being developed in Shakhrisabz District with the participation of Russian investors. Its preliminary cost is estimated at US$300 million.
Initial agreements on the project were reached in October 2023 at the third Russia-Uzbekistan Interregional Cooperation Forum in Kazan, involving Kazanskie Kanatnye Dorogi and architectural bureau Gordeev.
In December 2024, the president signed a resolution establishing the Gelon tourist and recreational zone, covering approximately 2,900 hectares. The zone is planned to operate for 30 years, with the possibility of an extension. The project is to be implemented in three stages between 2024 and 2030.
Under the original plan, the investor was to contribute US$100 million during the first stage, by 1 January 2027, and a further US$200 million in subsequent stages.
In February 2025, it was reported that the first stage would include a 5.9-kilometre gondola lift connecting Gelon and Sarchashma, four ski slopes, 35 villas, a four-star hotel, a visitor centre, a restaurant, a multi-level car park and a helipad.
The second and third stages were planned to add 21 ski slopes, several cable cars, three hotels rated from three to five stars, 75 villas, an observation tower and entertainment facilities, including a zipline and a sky park. The resort was expected to create more than 4,000 jobs.
In June 2026, Tourism Committee Chairman Abdulaziz Akkulov told the Tatar-Inform news agency that design work was nearing completion, after which the resort’s master plan would need approval. At the time, the first phase was expected to open in late 2027 or early 2028.
A project presentation in June envisaged approximately 100 kilometres of ski slopes and 23 kilometres of cableways. Once completed, the resort is expected to accommodate up to 13,000 tourists at a time.
A separate programme covers access roads and engineering infrastructure. Under the 2024 resolution, 280.6 billion soums was earmarked for these purposes in 2024–2026.
The planned works include reconstruction of the 21-kilometre road from Gissarak village to Gelon and the 12-kilometre road from Gissarak to Sarchashma, as well as improvements to electricity supply, water networks and sewage systems.