Abstract:

International trade is the foundation of all economic activity in a globalized world today. The importance of tourism as a job and revenue source, as well as a significant contributor to the balance of payments for many nations, has drawn more and more attention from regional and municipal authorities, the business sector, and governments. One of the most significant trade agreements, particularly for developing nations, is GATS, which aims to liberalize trade in the services sector. GATS made achieving a progressively higher level of liberalization through the removal or reduction of trade barriers, promoting the interests of all participating countries in a mutually beneficial manner, and securing an overall balance of rights and obligations—all while paying appropriate respect to national policy objectives—the main goal of the negotiations on services. Uzbekistan wholeheartedly supports these goals and thinks that more global liberalization and the removal of obstacles in the services sector will boost global economic growth, significantly increase trade in services, attract foreign investment, and improve and the enhancement of productivity in the manufacturing sector.

In this regard, the research aims to identify and analyse topical issues for the Republic of Uzbekistan concerning the regulation of tourism services within the WTO, as well as law enforcement practices that Uzbekistan should consider during the process of accessing to this international organization.

Majority of researches on GATS and tourism have been conducted in multidisciplinary spheres, such as, economy, tourism, international relations and international law. Consequently, while conducting the research on this topic all these spheres, the sources and methods were intersected. The research examines the impacts of GATS and WTO on tourism legislation and regulations in Uzbekistan. The research was carried out based on the answers to the following questions: “What are the motivations and preparations for signing the GATS?”; “How the GATS agreement regulates the sphere of tourism?”; “How far do the governments and supply sector understand how to use the GATS to achieve their goals?”; “What are / were the challenges in domestic regulation and market access in tourism services in developing countries?”; “What will be the impacts of GATS on tourism development in Uzbekistan?”.

It comes as no surprise that the key to the success of tourism in Uzbekistan is the government’s clear awareness of the importance of tourism in the country’s economic development. Consequently, further development of Uzbekistan’s tourism sector in a sense connected with the GATS’ enforcement.