The mediating role of tourist experience in transforming cultural heritage into Uzbekistan’s international image

Abstract

Cultural heritage has strategic value for tourism only when visitors are able to experience, interpret and remember it in meaningful ways. This thesis examines tourist experience as a mediating mechanism between cultural events and national heritage on the one hand and Uzbekistan’s destination and international image on the other. The analysis is grounded in the dissertation’s CENH-CII framework and in the literature on heritage tourism, destination image and the experience economy. The paper distinguishes heritage value from experienced value and explains how cognitive learning, aesthetic appreciation, emotional involvement, participation and authenticity can transform cultural exposure into favourable destination perceptions. It also considers the managerial implications for heritage sites, festivals, museums, guides and destination organisations. The central conclusion is that Uzbekistan does not need only more cultural assets or more visitors; it needs better-designed encounters through which existing assets become memorable experiences and, in turn, positive international perceptions.