China's week-long 'Golden Week' holiday in October is fueling a travel surge in Central Asia, particularly in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In Bukhara, Uzbekistan, local vendors report that Chinese tourists have become a major source of business, with one vendor noting that the city now recognizes the holiday period as a peak sales season.
The growth is attributed to a mutual visa-exemption agreement between China and Uzbekistan that took effect on June 1, 2025. Official reports from Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee indicate that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country increased by 3.5 times after the policy was launched.
A similar trend is seen in Kazakhstan, which also has a visa-free arrangement with China. At Shymbulak resort near Almaty, Chinese tourists cited visa-free travel as a key factor in their decision to visit. Some travelers are combining multiple Central Asian destinations, such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, into longer overland journeys.
The tourism exchange is becoming two-way, with more Central Asian visitors traveling to China. Data from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport shows that over 90,000 passengers from five Central Asian countries passed through by June 2026, a 286.6 percent increase year-on-year, with arrivals from Uzbekistan rising by 351.9 percent.
