ГЕОГРАФИЯ РЕКРЕАЦИИ И ТУРИЗМА GEOGRAPHY OF RECREATION AND TOURISM
UDC 911.3 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10389300
Fedorko V.N.1, Kurbanov Sh.B.2, Khamdamov E.D.2
1 Secondary school №233, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
DISSERTATION RESEARCH OF RECREATION AND TOURISM IN THE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE OF UZBEKISTAN: TOPICS, MAIN RESULTS,
PERSPECTIVE DIRECTIONS
Abstract. The article is devoted to the analysis of dissertations completed and defended by the geographers of Uzbekistan from the beginning of the 1970s to 2023. It has been established that the recreational and tourism issues have become more and more intensively developed in the geographical science of Uzbekistan in the past few years, which is due, in particular, to the general growth of the recreational economy and the tourism industry in the republic at the present stage of its socio-economic development. A subject classification of the relevant dissertations into 4 thematic directions is proposed: resort-climatological, recreational-geomorphological, landscape (geosystemic) and economic-geographical. The most important results of each dissertation work are briefly characterized in the context of a general review of one or another thematic direction of research. Based on the results of the analysis of the defended dissertations, some perspective thematic directions were formulatedfor the further development of the geography of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan.
Key words: recreational geography, tourism geography, dissertation, research direction, research
results.
Федорко В.Н.1, Курбанов Ш.Б.2, Хамдамов Э.Д2
1 Средняя общеобразовательная школа №233, Ташкент, Узбекистан ^Национальный университет Узбекистана, Ташкент, Узбекистан
ДИССЕРТАЦИОННЫЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ РЕКРЕАЦИИ И ТУРИЗМА В ГЕОГРАФИЧЕСКОЙ НАУКЕ УЗБЕКИСТАНА: ТЕМАТИКА, ОСНОВНЫЕ РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ, ПЕРСПЕКТИВНЫЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ
Аннотация. Статья посвящена анализу диссертационных работ, выполненных и защищённых географами Узбекистана с начала 1970-ых годов до 2023 года. Установлено, что рекреационная и туристская проблематика стала всё более интенсивно разрабатываться в географической науке Узбекистана в последние несколько лет, что обусловлено, в частности, общим ростом рекреационного хозяйства и индустрии туризма в республике на современном этапе её социально-экономического развития. Предложена предметная классификация соответствующих диссертационных работ на 4 тематических направления: курортно-климатологическое, рекреационно-геоморфологическое, ландшафтное (геосистемное) и экономико-географическое. Кратко охарактеризованы важнейшие результаты каждой диссертационной работы в контексте общего обзора того или иного тематического направления исследований. По итогам выполненного анализа зищащённых диссертационных работ были сформулированы некоторые перспективные тематические направления для дальнейшего развития географии рекреации и туризма в Узбекистане.
Ключевые слова: рекреационная география, география туризма, диссертация, направление исследований, результаты исследования.
Introduction and problem statement. The study of recreation and tourism in the field of geography began in different countries at different times. For example, in the geography of Great Britain and the United States, research directly related to tourism and recreation has been carried out since the 1930s. Early research on recreation and tourism in United States economic geography began in the 1930s with studies of the economic impact of tourist regions. In Great Britain, special geographical research on recreation and tourism began in the 1940s with the study of the development of the resort economy in the coastal regions of the country. The formation of the geography of recreation and tourism as a separate scientific direction in the former Soviet Union began in the 1960s under the name "recreational geography". In this regard, it is necessary to highlight the efforts of a group of geographers-scientists (Yu.A. Vedenin, I.V. Zorin, L.I. Mukhina, L.S. Filippovich, etc.) who worked under the leadership of V.S. Preobrajensky at the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow. In 1975, they published a monograph entitled "Theoretical Foundations of Recreational Geography" under the general editorship of V.S. Preobrazhensky [16]. This book is the first fundamental scientific work on the geography of recreation and tourism in the former Soviet Union.
The rapid development of the sanatorium-resort economy in Uzbekistan in the 1970s created the basis for the emergence of an objective demand for the development of the geography of recreation and tourism. From that time to the present, the geography of recreation and tourism has been developing as one of the leading directions of geographical research in our republic. The geography of recreation and tourism in our republic over the past period has passed certain path, within which a number of research directions have been formed and several dissertations have been defended. Within the framework of these dissertations, Uzbek geographers-scientists assessed the opportunities available in our country and its various regions for certain forms of recreation and tourism, developed new tourist routes, and researched the scientific and practical problems of the development of recreation and tourism in our republic.
In the future, in order to further develop the geography of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan, to achieve new theoretical and practical results, it is necessary to study the history of the development of this direction of geographical research in our country, classify the dissertation researches carried out within it, and analyze the main results. This scientific article is aimed at researching exactly these issues.
Study of the problem. In many dissertations, brief scientific-historical comments were made by the authors from the point of view of the object of study or the type of tourism [4, 7, 11, 18]. However, a comprehensive scientific-historical analysis of all dissertations devoted to the geographical aspects of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan has not yet been carried out, and the information on this content has not been considered in the framework of a textbook, study guide, monograph or scientific article. Therefore, the history of the development of the geography of recreation and tourism as a separate scientific research field in our republic can be recognized as an understudied topic.
Aim and objectives of research. The purpose of the research is to classify all dissertations defended in the field of geography, devoted to the issues of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan, from the point of view of the subject of study, and by analyzing the main results, to determine the current directions for the development of relevant research in our country.
To achieve the set goal, the following objectives were set: 1) Inventorying of scientific research in the field of geography of recreation and tourism, the results of which were published in the form of a dissertation in different periods in Uzbekistan; 2) Chronological study of relevant dissertation studies, classification in terms of the subject of study and division into scientific directions; 3) Commenting on the main results of scientific researches belonging to each scientific direction; 4) Determining the main scientific and practical tasks and problems facing the geography of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan based on the results of the work done and the actual problems of the development of recreation and tourism in our country.
Materials and methods. The research was carried out on the basis of a systematic and comparative analysis of the dissertations devoted to the geography of recreation and tourism defended by Uzbek geographers-scientists from the 1970s to the present day, and the main focus is on the classification of relevant studies in terms of their subject.
The authors of the article studied the catalogues of dissertations and abstracts in the National Library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Library of the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. They found that 24 dissertations written for the degree of candidate of science or doctor of philosophy (PhD) in the direction of recreation and tourism were defended in Uzbekistan from the 1970s to the present day. At the moment, it was found that in our republic not a single dissertation was completed on topical issues for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Geographical Sciences. Therefore, our analysis, the results of which are presented in the form of an article, was carried out within the framework of 24 candidacy and doctor of philosophy (PhD) theses [1-15, 17-25].
Results and discussion. It was found that 24 of the dissertations defended in the field of geographical sciences until now in our republic are directly devoted to the issues of recreation and tourism. These dissertations were defended between the 1970s and the present. First of all, it was considered necessary to analyze chronologically the 24 dissertations intended to be studied in terms of the protected research period. The analysis was conditionally performed in 10-year steps and included the following periods: 1971-1980s, 1981-1990s, 1991-2000s, 2001-2010s, 2011-2020s and 2021-2023s (Fig. 1).
14
12
12 10 8 6 4 2 0
4
I
1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-2010 2011-2020 2021-2023
Fig. 1. Distribution of defended dissertations on the issues of recreation and tourism in
Uzbekistan by chronological stages
4
As it can be seen from the analysis, defense of dissertations on recreation and tourism has become more active mainly in recent years. In particular, half of the 24 dissertations defended during half a century - 12 - were defended during 2021-2023. Therefore, the stage of intensive study of recreation and tourism issues in the geography of Uzbekistan in the form of dissertation research has recently started and continues.
The main content of dissertations created and defended by Uzbek geographers dedicated to the issues of recreation and tourism was comparatively studied, and 4 directions of relevant research were distinguished: resort-climatological research, recreational-geomorphological research, landscape (geosystem) research and economic geographic research (Fig. 2).
9 dissertations were defended in landscape (geosystemic) and economic geographical directions from 4 separate directions. Accordingly, these two directions make up 75% of all dissertation research. A number of dissertation works have been defended in our republic in the
field of geographical sciences in the resort-climatological and recreational-geomorphological directions. The quantitative distribution of the dissertation research by thematic directions is shown in the diagram in Fig. 3.
The fields of written dissertations in geography on the issues of recreation and tourism in
Uzbekistan
Resort-climatological studies
Assesment of the climatic conditionj of the regions from the point of view of recreation and tourism based cn bioclimatic criteria
Z.MakhamatillaeY. G. Zokirov: A. Yusupov, F. Abdikulov
Assessment of the
geological and gecmorphologicat conditions of the territories from the point of view of their attractiveness for recreation and tourism
M. Khoshimov, A. Matnazarov
Recreational géomorphologie at studies Landscape (gecsvstem) studies
Assessment of Landscape recreational
tourism opportunities, geoecological
aspects of recreation and tourism
R. Usmonova. N. Shomuratova,
B. Kamolov. £h. Yakubj anova, Sh. Shomurodova. U. Badalov, J. Khasatiov, £h. Kholmurodov. O. Tobirov
Economic geographical studies
Assessinent of recreational tourism potential of administrative regions, study of network infrastructure, planning of tourist products, etc
Б .Ziy amukhamedov. Sh. Azimov. M. Usmonov. Kh. Jurnaev, M. Makhjnudov. E. Makhkamov. M. Umianov.
X. Turaev. A. Matchanova
Fig. 2. Research directions of defended dissertations in geography on recreation and
tourism in Uzbekistan
Fig. 3. Distribution of dissertations defended in 1972-2023 in the field of geography dedicated to recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan by research directions
By jointly analyzing the chronological and thematic aspects of dissertations devoted to the issues of recreation and tourism defended in the field of geography, it was found necessary to periodize the history of relevant dissertation researches in the geography of Uzbekistan as follows.
1st period - 1972-1991. In the 1970s, when recreational geography was formed as a separate field of research in the geography of the former Soviet Union, this field also appeared in the geography of Uzbekistan, and dissertations were defended on the natural geographical, economic geographical, resort-economic and geomorphological aspects of recreation (Z. Makhamatillaev [9], A. Zakirov [24], B.G. Ziyamukhamedov [25], M.A. Khoshimov [8]). However, in the 1980s, not a single dissertation was defended in this direction in the field of geography. Therefore, the recreational geographical research that was formed in the 1970s was not adequately continued in the following decade. We think that this situation can be attributed to a number of factors.
First of all, at that time, recreation and tourism developed more within the framework of the all-Union territorial labor distribution system, and was mainly formed on a large scale in the Black Sea regions, the Caucasus region, and the Baltic republics. Internal recreation and tourism developed relatively slowly in Central Asian republics, including Uzbekistan. As a result, the objects of recreational geographical research were selected accordingly. Secondly, in Soviet geography, attention was paid to social geographical issues, including recreational geographical issues, at a relatively low level. Thirdly, due to the scientific staff of Scientific Research Institute of Resort Science named after N. Semashko in the period under consideration, due to the fact that certain works were carried out on the comprehensive study of the sanatorium-resort resources of our republic, and the experts of other fields, including geographers, were less involved in the issues of recreation and tourism.
2nd period - 1992-2010 years. At this stage, interest in the issues of recreation and tourism in the geography of our republic was revived, and dissertations were created on the opportunities and problems of development of recreation and tourism in different regions in the new socio-political and economic conditions (Sh.A. Azimov [2], A.Kh. Yusupov [22], R. Usmonova [21], M.R. Usmanov [19]). Relevant dissertation researches belong to different directions (resort-climatology, landscape (geosystem), economic geography) and cover different regions (Charvak reservoir zone, Southern Uzbekistan, Samarkand region). It should be noted that at the current stage, interest in the issues of recreation and tourism in the geography of Uzbekistan has been revived, but dissertations in the relevant direction have been defended episodically (only 4 candidate dissertations have been submitted over the past 20 years).
3rd period - 2011-2020 years. In this decade, 4 dissertations were defended in the field of geography in Uzbekistan (N.T. Shamuratova [14], Sh.T. Yakubjanova [23], B.Kh. Kamolov [5], Sh.G. Shomurodova [15]). All these studies were carried out in the landscape (geosystem) direction and are aimed at creating the ecological and geographical basis of tourism development. Dissertations devoted to recreation and tourism in other thematic directions were not defended in geography.
4th period - from 2021 to present. At this stage, the number of dissertations devoted to recreation and tourism in the geography of Uzbekistan increased significantly, and their thematic diversity developed. During this short and, at the same time, productive stage, 12 PhD dissertations were defended by our country's geographers, and among these dissertations, research related to all 4 thematic areas identified above can be distinguished: landscape (geosystem) research - U.B. Badalov [3], J.Yu. Khasanov [6], Sh.A. Kholmurodov [7], O.K. Tobirov [17], economic geographical research - Kh.Kh. Jumaev [4], M.M. Makhmudov [11], E.G. Mahkamov [10], M.R. Usmanov [20], K.T. Turaev [18], A.E. Matchanova [12], recreational geomorphological research - A.R. Matnazarov [13], resort-climatological research - F.I. Abdikulov [1].
Below is a brief overview of the main results of 24 dissertations defended in the field of geography in our republic in 1972-2023, grouped by 4 thematic areas that were separated in the research process.
First of all, we will consider dissertation researches in the direction of resort-climatology, because the first dissertation work on recreation issues in our republic was done in this direction.
This is a candidate's thesis entitled "Resort-climate resources of the Uzbek SSR" defended by Z. Makhamatillaev in 1972 in the speciality of 11.00.09 - Meteorology, Climatology, Agrometeorology [9]. In it, the researcher assessed the meteorological indicators of different parts of the republic in terms of seasons and types of weather in order to determine the possibilities of establishing climatic resorts, resort-climatic zoning of the territory of Uzbekistan based on a set of bioclimatic indicators. Also, the author developed scientifically based proposals for expanding the network of sanatorium-resort institutions of the republic in the direction of climate therapy. This dissertation was carried out on the basis of effective synthesis of methods of climatology and medical balneology.
The scientific research direction of Abdugaffor (Gaffar) Zakirov, who worked at the Tashkent State Pedagogical Institute in Angren for many years, is directly related to resort science and climatology, and this geographer paid great attention to the study of the recreational resources of our republic from a natural geographical point of view.
In 1979 he defended his candidate's thesis on "Evaluation of the natural conditions and natural resources of the Fergana Valley for the purpose of a sanatorium-resort" [24] in the field of 11.00.01 - Physical geography, geophysics and geochemistry of landscapes under the scientific guidance of the famous desert scientist, academician A.G.Babaev.
In his research, the scientist analyzed and evaluated the components of the nature of the Fergana Valley and local natural geographical processes from the point of view of their impact on the health of the population and their importance in the establishment of sanatorium-resort institutions, studied natural balneological (healing) resources, made a natural geographical zoning of the region for the purpose of placing sanatorium-resort institutions, and on this basis allocated the most favorable areas for the future placement of relevant institutions.
In the 1980s and 1990s A.Kh.Yusupov also conducted research on the geographical study of resort-climatic resources. As a result of his long-term research, in 1995, he defended his candidate's thesis on the topic "Evaluation of the climatic conditions of Southern Uzbekistan for recreation and treatment" in the field of 11.00.01 - Physical geography, geophysics and geochemistry of landscapes [22]. In the dissertation, some features of the climatic conditions of South Uzbekistan are evaluated from a resort point of view. The seasonal characteristics of the region's climate are taken into account in the assessment. As a result of the conducted research, the development of the resort economy in the future is not limited and the climatic resort regions are separated. The method of determining the amount of oxygen depending on the height of the places was used, and taking into account the general law, the amount of oxygen gradually decreases with increasing altitude, and it is shown on a special map. In some regions (Termiz, Denov) it has been found that the damp weather has a negative effect on human health. In such zones, it is reasonable to build centers for the treatment of liver and cardiovascular diseases.
In 2022 F.I. Abdikulov defended his dissertation on the topic "Bioclimatic conditions of Samarkand region and the possibilities of using them in the development of tourism" on the specialty of 11.00.04 - Meteorology. Climatology. Agrometeorology [1]. The dissertation focuses on the research of the bioclimatic conditions of the regions of Uzbekistan, taking into account climate change and new assessment methods. In particular, on the basis of a new biometeorological index that takes into account the conditions of Uzbekistan, the bioclimatic conditions of Samarkand region and the possibilities of using them in the development of tourism were studied. The climate description of the region was compiled based on the statistical analysis of the meteorological stations located in the Samarkand region for the last
ten years (2009-2018) on air temperature and humidity, cloudiness, atmospheric precipitation, wind speed and direction.
The second direction of recreational-geographical research developed in our republic has a recreational-geomorphological content and is related to the evaluation of the geological and geomorphological conditions of the regions from the point of view of their attractiveness for recreation and tourism. In the 1960s and 1970s, famous geographers-scientists O.Yu. Poslavskaya and V.I. Ratsek worked in this direction. On the initiative of these scientists, in 1979, the department of tourism and local studies was opened at the Faculty of Geography of Tashkent State University (now NUUz), but this department operated for a relatively short period of time.
For several decades, starting from the mid-70s of the last century, the geographer and scientist M.A. Khoshimov from Samarkand studied the recreational possibilities of karst landforms of the republic. M.A. Khoshimov in 1976 at the Kazakh State University in Alma-Ata (today - Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi) defended his candidate's thesis in geography on the topic "Karst of South-Western Uzbekistan" [8]. Although this dissertation research is not directly devoted to the assessment of recreation resources, a large part of it is related to relevant issues. During his many years of scientific and pedagogical activity, M.A. Khoshimov studied the geographical aspects of speleotourism (cave tourism), geotourism (in particular, in the territory of the Kitab Geological State National Park) and ecotourism in Uzbekistan, and created relevant scientific and educational works.
In 2021 A.R. Matnazarov defended his thesis on the topic "The natural geographical distribution of mountain glaciers in Uzbekistan and their role in ecotourism" in order to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geographical Sciences with a specialization in 11.00.01 - Physical Geography [13]. The existing mountain glaciers in Uzbekistan and their adjacent areas were taken as the object of the research, and the subject is the issues of using mountain glaciers in Uzbekistan and the landforms and deposits formed by them in the development of ecotourism. The researcher determined the distribution of mountain glaciers in Uzbekistan in terms of absolute height and exposure of slopes and their location in river basins, as well as the existence of subglacial, postglacial and glacial zones in terms of glaciotourism in the regions of our republic where mountain glaciers and their derivatives are located, and glaciotourist routes of mountain glaciers were developed, their complexity was evaluated and a map in ArcGIS software was created.
The third direction of dissertations supported in Uzbekistan in the field of geography of recreational-tourist content is research based on the landscape or geosystem approach. As the first major work in this direction, R. Usmanova's candidate's dissertation dedicated to the comprehensive recreational assessment of the landscapes of Kashkadarya region can be mentioned [21]. In this work, criteria for practical assessment of recreation opportunities, individual components of nature and geosystems of Kashkadarya region are proposed.
In 2011 N.T. Shamuratova defended her candidate's thesis on the natural geographical basis of the development of ecotourism in Uzbekistan [14]. In this dissertation, in particular, the territory of Uzbekistan is divided into ecotourism regions and a special geographical map of the relevant content has been compiled.
B.Kh. Kamolov defended his PhD thesis on the topic "Territoriality, periodicity and complexity characteristics of ecotourism in Namangan region" [5]. In it, the issues of development of ecotourism within the natural and anthropogenic ecosystems of the Namangan region, identification of touristic opportunities, individual and integrated ecotourism routes have been researched. At the same time, in this study, proposals and recommendations were developed based on the directions of using water bodies (Eskier, Varzik, Chartaksay, Rezaksay) as ecotourism objects (sports, rafting, extreme, shopping), and the effective use of ecotourism opportunities of the region (establishment of natural nurseries, construction of guest houses in mountain and sub-mountain areas).
In 2018 Sh.T. Yakubjonova defended her Doctor of Philosophy dissertation on the topic "Natural geographical aspects of agrotourism (in the case of Uzbekistan)" in the speciality of 11.00.05 - Environmental protection and rational use of natural resources [23]. In it, the territory of the republic is divided into agro-tourist regions from the point of view of agro-tourism, with the assessment of the indicators of the natural geographical conditions of agro-landscapes. In addition, the map "Agritourism regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was developed, the rules for identifying agrotours and developing routes were improved in terms of ensuring the seasonal continuity of the use of agrotourism facilities.
In 2020 NUUz researcher Sh.G. Shomurodova defended her PhD thesis on the topic "Natural geographical foundations of tourism development in the Chimgan-Charvak resort-recreation zone" in the speciality of 11.00.01 - Physical Geography [15]. In the thesis, a map of tourist objects and resources of Chimgan-Charvak resort-recreation zone was created and tourist routes were developed, natural geographical factors affecting tourism of Chimgan-Beldersay and Nanay mountain resort zones (relief slope and fragmentation, genetic types of rocks, air temperature, precipitation, snow cover, running water, natural disaster safety) were determined and an eco-agrotourism project was based. At the same time, Chimgan-Charvak justified the need to place "Guest Houses" in the resort-recreation zone, taking into account the tectonic structure of the place, safety from natural emergency processes, and landscape aesthetics. Clusters of mountain tourism have been developed on the basis of tourist facilities and resources in Chimgan-Charvak resort-recreation zone.
In recent years, a number of theses have been defended by geographers-researchers of Samarkand State University in this direction for obtaining the scientific degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In particular, in 2021, U.B. Badalov defended his dissertation on the topic "Recreation-tourist resources of the Middle Zarafshan basin, geographical basis and prospects of their use" [3]. In this scientific work, based on the analysis of the natural potential of the landscapes of the Middle Zarafshan basin from the point of view of recreation and tourism, the evaluation of the area for tourism, recreation and health improvement was carried out. In this study, directions for using natural monuments in the basin, unique landscapes as recreational-tourist objects are scientifically based, and new routes connecting recreational objects on the scale of the basin have also been developed.
The main goal of J.Yu. Khasanov's dissertation work, entitled "Prospects for the development of ecological tourism in the landscapes of the Middle Zarafshan basin" [6] is to develop practical recommendations for the development of ecotourism by determining the ecotourism features and opportunities of the Middle Zarafshan basin. In this study, the ecotourism opportunities of the Middle Zarafshan basin were determined, and a map "Ecotourism regions and routes of Middle Zarafshan" was created for the development of ecotourism in the future. Directions for using river valleys such as Zarafshan, Amankutansay, Urgutsay, Tusinsay as an ecotourism facility are based, and proposals and recommendations for effective use of the ecotourism potential of the basin are developed.
It is known that mountain tourism and recreation are of special social and economic importance in the conditions of Uzbekistan. Therefore, Sh.A. Kholmurodov's research on the topic "Evaluation of recreation possibilities of mountain landscapes of the Turkistan-Nurota range" is distinguished by the fact that it is dedicated to the current topic [7]. In the work, the possibilities of recreation of mountain landscapes were analyzed based on modern GIS technologies and "Map of mountain landscapes of Turkistan-Nurota Range" was created on a scale of 1:200 000. Landscapes of the area were assessed by address based on the criteria of "unfavourable", "less favourable", "more favourable", "favourable", "very favourable" developed for the evaluation of mountain landscapes of the Turkistan-Nurota range.
In 2023 O.K. Tobirov defended his PhD thesis on "Geographical tourism and its natural geographical aspects (in the case of the Fergana Valley)" in the speciality of 11.00.01 - Physical Geography [17]. In it, the natural geographical indicators of the Fergana Valley region were evaluated with the help of GIS technologies from the point of view of the development of
geographic tourism, and the studied area was divided into touristic-recreational zones and clusters. The researcher divided geosystems into global, subglobal, interregional, regional, subregional and local classification groups for the purpose of geographical touristic zoning and determined their geographical aspects.
The fourth direction of the dissertation work on recreation and tourism in the geography of our republic is economic geographical research. Among the geographers of our republic, the first candidate's thesis in this direction was written and defended in 1977 by B.G. Ziyamukhamedov. His dissertation is devoted to issues of regional recreational system design within the Tashkent city agglomeration [25]. In his research, the scientist evaluated the landscapes of the regions around Tashkent from the point of view of recreational opportunities and attractiveness, divided the studied area in terms of the types of recreation that will be developed in the future, and also assessed the recreational needs of the residents of the city of Tashkent and determined how to develop recreational systems within the urban agglomeration in the future.
Economic geographical and ecological-economic aspects of recreation development has a special place in Sh.A. Azimov's candidate thesis [2]. The study was carried out on the example of the Charvak reservoir, one of the largest recreation areas in our country. The scientist assessed the recreational potential and opportunities of various parts of the coast of the Charvak reservoir, determined recreational geographical areas and microdistricts based on them, and determined optimal ways of developing recreation and tourism for each of them.
A comprehensive study of the development of tourism in Samarkand region and the formation processes and problems of territorial recreation systems in this area. It was carried out in M.R. Usmanov's candidate's thesis defended in 2003 [19]. Based on the theoretical and methodological aspects of tourism geography, its specific features in individual regions were studied in the research work. The natural, historical, religious and cultural-ethnographic features of the existing tourist infrastructure and opportunities in the Samarkand region were assessed by district and the need to develop specific types of tourism was shown in them.
Kh.Kh. Jumaev's dissertation work in 2021 on the topic "Evaluation of tourism-recreational potential of Kashkadarya region and improvement of regional systems of tourism infrastructure" in the speciality of 11.00.02 - Economic and Social geography also corresponds to this direction [4]. In the work, the methodology and rating of the component complex assessment of the potential of touristic and recreational resources of the regions according to the administrative-territorial units of the Kashkadarya region was developed. In order to rationally use the natural-climatic, historical-cultural and socio-economic tourism and recreation resources of Kashkadarya, new tourist routes and their model passports have been created. At the same time, maps of tourism-recreation potential and tourism-recreation infrastructure of the region were created, and scientific and practical proposals and recommendations were developed for the rational use of existing tourism-recreation resources in the plains, foothills and mountainous regions of the region.
In recent years, a number of researches on recreation and tourism have been carried out in the regions of the Fergana Valley. In this regard, the works of M.M. Makhmudov and E.G. Mahkamov are distinguished. In particular, in M.M. Mahmudov's dissertation on the topic of "Economic Geographical Factors of Tourism Development in Andijan Region", defended in the speciality of 11.00.02 - Economic and Social Geography, the main focus is on determining the possibility of using tourist facilities in Andijan Region and their evaluation, as well as developing practical proposals and recommendations for the development of tourism in the region and regional organization [11].
In the dissertation work on the topic "Geographical basis of using the nature of Fergana region for recreation and tourism", defended by E.G. Mahkamov on 11.00.02 - Economic and social geography, [10] the recreational-tourist possibilities of the natural, natural-historical and economic-social conditions of the administrative-territorial units of Fergana region were
described and evaluated, and proposals and recommendations for improving their use were developed.
M.R. Usmanov's PhD dissertation on the topic "Territorial aspects of the organization of tourist destinations in the Jizzakh region" is dedicated to the determination of the possibilities and potential of the regional organization of tourism destinations in the Jizzakh region, proposals for their effective use, and the development of territorial aspects of development [20]. In this, for the first time, directions for the use of attractions and tourist attractions of Jizzakh region are scientifically based, and many new routes have been developed connecting them with tourist destination objects on the regional scale. Scientific and practical suggestions and recommendations have been developed for the rational use of natural and cultural recreational-tourist resources, regional organization of services related to tourist visits in the comprehensive development of tourism in Jizzakh region.
Doctor of philosophy dissertation defended by K.T. Turaev in 2022 on the topic "Social-geographic foundations of religious tourism development in Uzbekistan" is devoted to issues of religious and pilgrimage tourism development in the regions of our republic [18]. In the study, a multi-criteria classification of tourism types (according to the purpose, object, duration, seasonality, social status and other characteristics) was developed, the role of religious and pilgrimage tourism in it and their mutual relations were clarified. In the section of 6 main economic regions of Uzbekistan, domestic pilgrimage tourism and cross-border pilgrimage tourism national routes covering the territory of our republic and neighboring countries, their model programs have been developed in a multi-variant form. At the same time, the dissertation identified religious tourism resources in the territory of the republic for representatives of other religions (besides Islam, in particular, Russian Orthodox Church, Buddhism, Judaism) living in Uzbekistan and foreign countries, and appropriate religious tourist routes were developed under the tourism brand "Uzbekistan's place of religious tolerance".
Research on gastronomic tourism in the form of a dissertation written for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy defended by A.E. Matchanova in 2023 [12]. The main focus of the work is to study the possibilities of gastronomic tourism of the Lower Amudarya Economic Region and to develop proposals and recommendations for its use. Small gastronomic regions separated based on their traditional food, hospitality, cooking, their role in gastrotourism, similarities and differences, and interdependence of the population historically included in the administrative-territorial units of the Lower Amudarya Economic Region were established and routes were developed. A gastronomic tourism electronic mobile application has been created for the studied region.
Conclusion. In 1972, Z. Makhamatillaev's dissertation devoted to the assessment of resort-climatic resources of our republic was the first of the defended dissertations in geography on the issues of recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan. From that time until 2023, 24 dissertations written for obtaining the scientific degrees of candidate of geography or doctor of philosophy (PhD) devoted to recreation and tourism in Uzbekistan were defended. Among the doctoral theses in geography, there are no studies directly devoted to the issues under consideration.
Although the creation and defense of dissertations in the field of geography, dedicated to recreation and tourism, began in the 1970s, for many years, dissertations on this topic were numerous in the geography of our country. Only in recent years, research in this direction has become more active. As a result, we can see that although the period of creation of 24 research dissertations covered half a century, an equal half of them, namely, 12, were defended in 20212023.
The analyzed 24 dissertation researches were divided into 4 directions, namely, resort-climatological, recreational-geomorphological, landscape (geosystem) and economic geographical researches. Then, 9 dissertations were considered relevant to the landscape (geosystem) direction, 9 to the economic geographical direction, 4 to the resort-climatological direction, and 2 to the recreational-geomorphological direction.
The history of dissertation research on the issues of recreation and tourism in the geography of Uzbekistan can be divided into the following periods:
1st period - 1970-1991 (the stage of formation of recreation geography as a research direction);
2nd period - 1992-2010 (restoration of the geography of recreation and tourism in the new socio-political and economic conditions);
3rd period - 2011-2020 (active development of researches focused on ecological-geographical aspects of recreation and tourism);
4th period - from 2021 (a sharp increase in the number of geographical dissertations on recreation and tourism issues and a much wider variety of topics). 4 dissertations were defended in the first, second and third stages, and 12 dissertation researches were successfully defended in the fourth period.
Based on the analysis of the main results of the completed and successfully defended dissertations in our republic and the issues that await scientific research in the field of tourism and recreation at the current stage of the socio-economic development of our country, the following urgent problems can be distinguished for future dissertation research aimed at the geographical research of recreation and tourism:
- Grounding of plans and schemes for the development of suburban recreational territorial systems in densely populated urban agglomerations of Uzbekistan;
- to develop ways to diversify the geographical directions of international tourism in our country, to justify the ways to integrate geographically remote (peripheral) regions, but rich in recreational resources, into the tourist space of the country;
- Quantitative and qualitative assessment of recreational and touristic infrastructure systems in the regions of the republic, development of comprehensive plans to increase the attractiveness of regional recreational systems and the quality of service;
- assessment of the recreational opportunities of geosystems taking into account the potential of ecological stability, development of standards for the rational use of landscapes for the purpose of tourism and recreation;
- justification of alternative development approaches based on recreational resources of socio-economically backward regions;
- Development of cross-border tourism in neighboring countries of Uzbekistan and Central Asia, formation of cross-border recreational and tourist systems in the countries of the region, development of scientific and practical approaches to improving transport infrastructure from this point of view.
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Information about authors:
Viktor Fedorko - Secondary school №233 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), Doctor of philosophy (PhD) in geographical sciences. E-mail: viktor-f-89@mail.ru.
Shukhrat Kurbanov - National University of Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) Doctor of philosophy (PhD) in geographical sciences, Associate Professor. E-mail: qurbonov1977@mail.ru.
Eldorbek Khamdamov - National University of Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), basical doctorant. E-mail: eldorbekxamdamov2@gmail.com.
Сведения об авторах:
Федорко Виктор Николаевич - Средняя общеобразовательная школа № 233 (Ташкент, Узбекистан), доктор философии (PhD) по географическим наукам. E-mail: viktor-f-89@mail.ru.
Курбанов Шухрат Бекметович - Национальный университет Узбекистана (Ташкент, Узбекистан), доктор философии (PhD) по географическим наукам, доцент. Email: qurbonov1977@mail.ru.
Хамдамов Элдорбек Дониёржон угли - Национальный университет Узбекистана (Ташкент, Узбекистан), базовый докторант. E-mail: eldorbekxamdamov2@gmail.com.
For citation:
Fedorko V.N., Kurbanov Sh.B., Khamdamov E.D. (2023), Dissertation research of recreation and tourism in the geographical science of Uzbekistan: topics, main results, perspective directions, Central Asian Journal of Geographical Researches, No. 3-4, pp. 106118.
Для цитирования:
Федорко В.Н., Курбанов Ш.Б., Хамдамов Э.Д. Диссертационные исследования рекреации и туризма в географической науке Узбекистана: тематика, основные результаты, перспективные направления // Центральноазиатский журнал географических исследований. 2023. № 3-4. С. 106-118. (На англ. яз.).