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Iskandarov Dilshod Davlatnazirovich is an entrepreneur from the city of Khiva (Khorezm region, Uzbekistan), the owner of the "Khiva Khan family" guest house with a three-star category. The "Khiva Khan" family guest house in the spring of this year became a participant in a pilot project on the classification of family guest houses in Uzbekistan, implemented by the Association of private tourism agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) as part of the USAID's Future Growth Initiative (FGI) Project. According to the results of the classification, the family guest house was awarded the highest category.

Dilshod Davlatnazirovich became interested in the sphere of tourism and hospitality in 2022. The idea to start a business in a completely new field of activity and open a family guest house was built on several important factors. Firstly, the house of Dilshod Davlatnazirovich is located near Ichan-Kala, the ancient city of Khiva, which has a rich history. Secondly, the desire to receive guests in the house and acquaint them with the local culture and traditions. Thirdly, the desire of all members of the host family to help develop business and achieve high results in the field of accommodation and catering services. Both parents, wife and children supported Dilshod Davlatnazirovich in an effort to start a family business in tourism.

“I started my work in the field of tourism in 2022, before that I worked in the medical field. Tourism was a new direction for me. One of the main reasons why I chose the hospitality industry is the unique, rich and inimitable history of Khiva. Khiva is a beautiful city, an open-air museum city that attracts tourists from all over the world. And of course, the support of my family members played an important role, their willingness to study a new area - hospitality, receive guests and invest their efforts in a new business", - said the owner of the family guest house" Khiva Khan".

After deciding to open a family business in the hospitality industry, Dilshod Davlatnazirovich studied the legal basis for organizing the activities of family guest houses, the basics of management and service in accommodation facilities. As well as promotion on booking sites.

The family guest house "Khiva Khan" began its activities on April 27, 2022. The name of the guest house - "Khiva Khan" is associated with the location of the house. During the Khiva Khanate (XVI - early XX centuries), one of the Khan's summer yards was located on the site of a family guest house. So the owners of the house wanted to emphasize this historical fact and the uniqueness of the house.

“My first steps in this business were quite successful. At the same time, my family and I experienced many difficulties. It was necessary to learn a lot, acquire new skills, try to provide guests with maximum comfort and provide quality service. But we did it. Over the past year, about 500 tourists have visited our family guest house. The guests are satisfied with the service and this gives us the strength to move forward to even better results”, - said Dilshod Davlatnazirovich.

In 2022, through the information channels of the APTA, Dilshod Davlatnazirovich learned about the project of APTA / USAID's within the Future Growth Initiative (FGI) and  seminar training for owners of family guest houses: "Classification of family guest houses - as an effective tool for attracting tourists". The participation in this training allowed Dilshod Davlatnazirovich to learn a lot of useful information on the topic of classification of accommodation facilities and increasing competitiveness.

“Last year, I participated in a seminar: “Classification of family guest houses as an effective tool for attracting tourists”, which was implemented by the APTA as part of the USAID's Future Growth Initiative (FGI) Project. Thanks to this seminar, I learned a lot of new and useful information, developed my skills in the field of tourism, which helped me a lot in developing my business”, - said Dilshod Davlatnazirovich.

In May 2023, the family guest house became one of the participants in the family guest house classification pilot project, also implemented by APTA under the USAID's Future Growth Initiative (FGI) Project. According to the results of the classification, the family guest house "Khiva Khan" was awarded the category "three stars".

But Iskandarov Dilshod Davlatnazirovich does not stop at this achievement. In the near future, the entrepreneur plans to establish cooperation with foreign travel agencies and thereby increase the number of tourists coming not only to Khiva, but also to Uzbekistan. Dilshod Davlatnazirovich would like to further expand his family business in the future.