The key facts
- The first phase of the Gelon resort is planned for commissioning in 2027; earlier, the head of the Tourism Committee cited the timeframe as 'late 2027 — early 2028'.
- The total project cost is $300 million, the zone covers about 2,900 hectares, and implementation is scheduled for 2024–2030.
- Ethnotourism centers in three villages, rafting in Sayod and Suvtushar, and spring gastronomic festivals are also planned.
President's Statement on Launching the First Phase
On October 22, at a meeting dedicated to the socio-economic development of Kashkadarya region, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans to launch the first phase of the Gelon ski resort, being created in cooperation with Tatarstan, in 2027. According to him, the region has every opportunity to attract up to 6 million tourists annually. Since the beginning of 2026, the region has been visited by 2.5 million tourists, of whom 500,000 visited the mountain village of Gelon in the Shakhrisabz district.
Tourism Development in Other Villages
The president noted the potential of other mountain settlements in the region. The villages of Taragay in the Chirakchi district, Bashir in the Kitab district, and Tatar in the Yakkabag district, whose natural conditions are similar to Gelon, are proposed to be turned into ethnotourism centers. In the villages of Sayod and Suvtushar in the Shakhrisabz district, rafting and sports tourism based on mountain rivers are planned to be developed. Responsible agencies have been tasked with preparing, within a month, a unified master plan for the development of six villages, including Gelon, and starting from March 1, 2027, to begin implementing projects with a total cost of $50 million. In addition, every spring the Guzar district is planned to host the gastronomic festival 'Lola va kabob' ('Tulips and Shashlik'), and the Kukdalin district — the 'Chiyal yakhna' festival.
What Is Known About the Resort Project
The international all-season resort Gelon is being implemented in the Shakhrisabz district with the participation of Russian investors; the preliminary cost of the project is $300 million. The first agreements were reached in October 2023 at the III Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan in Kazan, with the participation of the company 'Kazan Cable Ways' and the architectural bureau 'Gordeev'. In December 2024, the president signed a resolution establishing the Gelon tourist and recreational zone with an area of about 2,900 hectares for 30 years with the possibility of extension. The project is designed in three stages in 2024–2030: by January 1, 2027, the investor planned to invest $100 million, and another $200 million in subsequent stages.
Composition of the First Stage and Further Plans
According to data from February 2025, the first stage includes the construction of a 5.9 km gondola cable car between Gelon and Sarchashma, four ski slopes, 35 villas, a four-star hotel, a visitor center, a restaurant, a multi-level parking lot, and a helipad. The second and third stages were planned to include 21 more slopes, several cable cars, three hotels rated from three to five stars, 75 villas, an observation tower, a zipline, and a sky park; the creation of more than 4,000 jobs is expected. In June 2026, Chairman of the Tourism Committee Abdulaziz Akkulov told the Tatar-inform agency that design work was being completed and the launch of the first phase was expected in late 2027 — early 2028. According to the June presentation of the project, about 100 km of ski slopes and 23 km of cable cars are planned; after full completion of construction, the resort, as expected, will be able to accommodate up to 13,000 tourists simultaneously.
Infrastructure
A separate program provides for the construction of access roads and engineering infrastructure. According to the 2024 resolution, 280.6 billion soums were to be allocated for these purposes in 2024–2026. In particular, the reconstruction of the 21-kilometer road from the village of Gissarak to Gelon and the 12-kilometer road from Gissarak to Sarchashma is planned, as well as the development of electricity supply, water supply, and sewerage networks.
