GASTRONOMY AS A DESTINATION BRANDING TOOL: UZBEKISTAN'S COMPETITIVE POTENTIAL IN THE POST-PANDEMIC TOURISM ECONOMY

Abstract

Drawing on empirical data from a survey of tourists in Samarkand and Bukhara (n=100) and a comparison with the international experience of Italy, Japan, Spain and Turkey, this paper analyses the potential of gastronomy as an anchor element of Uzbekistan's national branding. A gap is identified between the high rating of the epistemic value of Uzbek cuisine (M = 3.57) and its low role in destination choice (M = 3.23). A strategy is proposed for translating the Silk Road "fusion heritage" into a competitive advantage on the post-pandemic experience-tourism market.