Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flat and Uzbekistan’s Silk Road may not have much in common. But in 2026, the home countries of these two trending travel destinations now share a significant distinction: visa-free entry for Americans.
On December 1, 2025, Bolivia began allowing United States citizens to visit the South American country without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism and business purposes, streamlining travel logistics for stateside visitors. In addition to the US, Bolivia also lifted visa requirements from seven other countries: South Korea, South Africa, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
Exactly one month later, at the turn of the New Year, Uzbekistan enacted a similar 30-day visa-free visitation program for Americans.
Unsurprisingly, both countries expect their new travel policies to stimulate the local economy and boost tourism from America—a trend that’s already in full swing.
Uzbekistan’s announcement comes at a time when the Central Asian country, best known for its ancient Islamic architecture and cornerstone role in the Silk Road, is seeing a boom in US travelers. Intrepid Travel, a global tour operator, saw an almost 60% spike in US bookings to Uzbekistan from 2023 to 2025, Leigh Barnes, president of Intrepid Travel’s Americas division, tells Condé Nast Traveler. In January alone, 40% of Intrepid’s bookings were for its premium trips to Uzbekistan.
It’s a sentiment echoed by other tour operators, such as Canada-based G Adventures. Yves Marceau, the company’s vice president of product, tells CNT that US bookings to Uzbekistan grew 96% from January 2025 to the same time in 2026.
“We’re seeing strong and growing interest in destinations that offer deep cultural immersion and a real sense of discovery, and Uzbekistan is a standout example of that trend,” Marceau says. “The ‘Stans’ as a region have been gaining momentum across all our travel styles and traveler demographics.”
G Adventures has seen a similar 65% jump in US travel to Bolivia. However, the South American country has yet to take a larger slice of Intrepid’s travel pie: Bolivian itineraries account for only about 0.5% of its bookings.
Consider it up-and-coming: CNT recently ranked Bolivia (specifically Potosí, its highland city home to Salar de Uyuni) as one of the best places to go in Central and South America for 2026, thanks in part to a local hospitality revitalization by way of new hotels and improved infrastructure.
The Bolivian government estimates that eliminating visa requirements for the eight countries will generate $80 million Bolivian boliviano (about $11.6 million) over the next four years.
Getting to Uzbekistan
The country’s national carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, currently operates direct flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Tashkent International Airport (TAS). The airline says it also flies to Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia, although there will be layovers in either Istanbul or Frankfurt.
