BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Uzbekistan will
launch direct air service between Tashkent and Mauritius for the
first time on December 26, opening a new tourism route to the
African island nation and creating opportunities to turn Tashkent
into a transit hub for travelers from Central Asia and the
Commonwealth of Independent States.


This was reflected in the statement by the Tourism Committee of
Uzbekistan.


The new route will initially operate four round-trip flights on
the Tashkent-Mauritius route in December and January. Starting in
June 2027, the service is expected to become a regular weekly
flight.


The launch is expected to expand tourism links between
Uzbekistan and Mauritius while providing travelers from Kazakhstan,
Russia and other CIS countries with an additional option for
reaching Mauritius via Tashkent.


The new air connection was discussed during a meeting of tourism
industry representatives from Uzbekistan and Mauritius in Tashkent.
The event was organized by Uzbek travel company Prestige Travel in
cooperation with Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee and brought
together Mauritian tourism companies, hotel brands and Uzbek tour
operators.


“The new flights are important for increasing mutual tourist
flows. At the same time, they open the Mauritian market as a new
tourism destination for Uzbekistan,” Oybek Akhmedov, founder of
Prestige Travel, said.







Akhmedov said Mauritius’ sizeable Indian-Muslim community could
create opportunities for developing pilgrimage and gastronomic
tourism between the two countries.


He added that Uzbek tourism companies could develop specialized
packages for Mauritian visitors featuring the historical and
cultural heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent, along
with sites associated with Islamic civilization and Uzbek national
cuisine.


The new route is being launched under Uzbekistan’s “Open Tourist
Season” program, which provides financial incentives to support new
international air connections and attract foreign visitors.


Under the program, airlines opening new routes receive a $100
subsidy for each foreign tourist attracted, as well as a 20%
discount on airport services. Local tour operators can receive
$5,000 for every 1,000 tourists brought to Uzbekistan from
countries outside the region.


The Tashkent-Mauritius connection is therefore expected to
support not only bilateral tourism but also Uzbekistan’s broader
strategy to expand international air connectivity and strengthen
Tashkent’s role as a regional transit hub.