Oydin Turakulova

26 years, Zaamin

Meet Oydin Turakulova, a young entrepreneur from Uzbekistan. At the age of 26, she opened her first family guest house in Zaamin.

 While still a college student, Oydin set a goal to enter the institute. Soon she became a

student of the Pedagogical Institute, and after graduating from it, she entered the Master's program.

The story of Oydin is a story about how you can grow from a primary school teacher in a

rural school to a successful businesswoman. At the same time, feel the support of your loved ones and persistently go to your goal.

 And it all started with simple hospitality and a desire to meet travelers in their home,

warm them up, give them hot tea. Oydin's parents opened their own teahouse in the village of Duoba, business was going uphill. They received not only local residents, but also guests from other cities. "Once they even organized an exhibition of national products for foreign tourists. The local residents were ready to meet only local tourists, and for foreigners it was necessary to improve the quality of service. And for this, certain knowledge was needed, " Oydin recalls.

In May 2021, training seminars and trainings organized by the Association of Private Tourism Organizations (APTA) with the support of the USAID Future Growth Initiative Project were held in the Zaamin district. Participation in the trainings became the starting point for Oydin to open a guest business.

At the seminars, Oydin learned a lot of useful information about what can attract a

foreign tourist, how to bring the quality of service to the desired level, how to sell your goods or products. During the classes, future entrepreneurs made a menu of national and European dishes, developed tourist routes. Oydin and her team have developed a one-day tour of the picturesque villages of the Zaamin district: Duoba, Uriklisoy and Suvlisoy.

Lectures on hotel management in rural areas, catering and marketing prompted Oydin to take a loan to open a family guest house. "Having received a loan, my husband and I converted the house in the national style, equipped it with everything necessary for receiving tourists and opened a cozy guest house a month ago. As a rule, local tourists come in whole families, groups of 5 to 10 people, and sometimes they stay for a week. During this month, we have received about 20 tourists. There are 5 people working in our guest house now, " Oydin said.
Oydin offers tourists a one-day tour of the village of Suvlisoy, which is located a few

kilometers from Duoba, behind a mountain pass. This is a real mountain village, located far from civilization. Here Oydin offers guests to visit a unique shop of wrought iron products, see an ancient watermill, watch the process of milking horses and taste the freshest kumis with hot kazan patyr. The tour package also includes an excursion to the flour mill, master classes on making bread, sour milk, butter, kumis, cooking national dishes on the tandoor, as well as walks through the beautiful walnut grove to the "tree of desires" and the purest mountain spring Muzbulok.
"One day is not enough to study the local nature and culture," Oydin noted.

"Therefore, I plan to expand the range of services, diversify the menu of homemade dishes, improve the quality of service for receiving future tourists."

The success story was developed by the Association of Private Tourism Organizations of Uzbekistan (APTA) with the support of the USAID Future Growth Initiative Project.