Startup Story: the project created for travel enthusiasts

The Startup Story edition continues to tell about interesting startups. This time we have a privilege to introduce Amal Yakubov and his “Utour” project.

Amal is 18 years old. He is a second-year student in computer and software engineering at Inha University, who also works at Inweb.uz as a UI / UX designer and front-end developer.

Where did it all start?

As Amal recalls, they wanted to launch a startup because of the existing problems tourism sector.

“A team of like-minded people and I faced the problem of finding guides and tourist routes in the regions. As it turned out, despite the huge efforts of tour operators, leisure activities, and the entertainment program in general, are not so actively developed in the regions. Later we thought: how can we overcome the shortcomings and show foreign and local travelers the beauty and rich history of Uzbekistan?”

This is how “Utour”, a mobile application that allows travelers to plan a vacation in Uzbekistan according to their interests (active recreation, history, adventure, national food, shopping, master classes, etc.) was created.

The service is easy to use: on the online platform, the tourist will be able to create his route, book a tour, excursion, find a guide and a driver.

“We talked to travel agencies and specialists from the Institute for Tourism Development. Our team is very grateful to all these people, as they helped us put together a complete product from the bits of information that we had. The startup was born thanks to their help. So far, this is only a mobile application, but we are also working on launching the site.”

The project now involves 5 people, each of whom makes an invaluable contribution to the process.

• Kristina Smorodina is a well-known tour operator of Tashkent with more than 10 years of experience, an idea-inspirer who helps to understand the tourism industry;

• Elena Kim - co-founder with 15 years of experience in the b2b market, distributor of 3 brands (Germany, Russia, Ukraine) in Uzbekistan;

• Ilya Kolovatov - co-founder, head of development, founder of the digital agency Inweb.uz and the main motivator of the team;

• Saidjon Khaidar-Zade - analyst and marketer, a person who knows what statistics is and how to properly manage it;

• and Amal himself - designer and co-founder of the project.

How does the project help the country/people?

As Amal recalls, there were difficulties in the process of developing an idea and launching a startup, but those were minor errors.

“Any initiative is not easy to accomplish. But if you follow the roadmap and a clear plan, you can overcome all difficulties. The main thing is to notice your mistakes in time, understand how they can be corrected and do it on an ongoing basis. It is important not to give up and overcome the obstacles of life.”

Now “Utour” is actively developing. The project, despite being young, is, in fact, promising and timely. The goal of the startup is the development of internal and external tourism. It helps to attract more tourists to the country and provide additional sources of income for the country's residents.

“Uzbekistan is a treasury of architectural monuments, the center of ancient cities, one of the centers of the legendary Silk Road. All this undoubtedly attracts a huge number of tourists every year. And if we can create a product that will make their journey here as easy as possible, help get acquainted with the culture and travel around Uzbekistan, then these numbers will undoubtedly increase.”

What is necessary to develop and promote a startup?

As the startup founder admits, the team did not receive funding for the development of the project.

“The startup has not yet received funds for development. Our first steps were taken with AloqaTechLab and IT Park, for which we are very grateful. We are now participating in the incubation program and look forward to further cooperation and funding from AloqaVentures.”

As for promotion, Amal notes that every day more and more people learn about the project and are interested in its future.

“We still have a lot to do, there are many difficulties and mistakes ahead, but without this there will be no growth. Our team sets goals, works, improves and achieves the results that set. We are constantly working on the promotion of “Utour”. Now we are focused on launching the website, and hope to get into the international market soon.”

Amal advices young startup founders to believe in their own ideas.

“If you don’t believe in what you are doing, then why are you doing it at all? It is important to be enthusiastic and fire it up in your fellows’ hearts. Do not be afraid of mistakes, do not be afraid of obstacles, just do it!”