USMONOVA GULNOZA BAXODIR QIZI

Dr. Gulnoza Usmonova is a strategist and economist whose work spans classrooms, boardrooms, and border crossings across Central Asia and beyond.

She holds a PhD in Tourism, Economics and Management from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain, with a research and publication record spanning economic development, strategic planning, and market analysis in leading international journals.

Dr. Usmonova brings an interdisciplinary and international career bridging academia and applied economic consulting. She has held academic appointments at Central Asian University, American University of Technology, Webster University, and Bangor University, and has taught internationally in Spain and Italy. Her consulting work spans international development organizations, including USAID-funded programs, UNWTO, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), on strategy, market development, and policy-adjacent projects across a five-country portfolio in Central Asia.

She is also a National Geographic Expedition Expert for Silk Road expeditions, reflecting a broader interest in how strategic and economic principles apply to cultural and regional development contexts.

Her research interests center on strategic management, marketing, and organizational competitiveness, with particular attention to how businesses and institutions in emerging markets build sustainable, resilient growth strategies.

Ph.D. in Tourism, Economics and Management — University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (2015–2022)

Dissertation: Residents, tourists and stakeholders' perception of CBT in Central Asian countries

Cum Laude Appraisal (2022)

M.Sc. in Restaurant and Hospitality Business — Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan (2011–2013)

B.Sc. in International Tourism Service — Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan (2007–2011)

Sustainable Tourism Destination Management Certification — Cornell University, USA (2023)

AUT powered by Arizona State University, Tashkent — Associate Professor (2025–present)

1. Teaching: Lectures and practical tutorials for B.Sc. and MBA students.

Palladium International LLC, Washington, DC — Associate Project Delivery (2024–2025)

1. Economic Growth and Natural Capital Portfolio: Managed and coordinated USAID-funded projects across Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The Palladium Group for USAID Business Support Project, Tashkent — Tourism Sector Lead (2024)

1. Tourism development: Led strategic planning and implementation in coordination with tourism authorities and key stakeholders.

Central Asian University, Tashkent — Associate Professor (2023–2024)

1. Teaching: Strategic Management, Marketing, and Integrated Case Studies.
2. Student supervision: Mentored students participating in the Harvard Business Case Competition and supervised graduation theses.

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Madrid — Tourism Economist (2022–2023)

1. Research and policy: Analyzed global tourism trends, conducted research on tourism economics, and contributed to sustainable tourism development and management projects.

MDIS Tashkent / Bangor University — Head of Tourism and Hospitality School (2018–2023)

1. Academic leadership: Led curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development within the Tourism and Hospitality School.
2. Teaching: Led lectures and practical tutorials for B.Sc. programs in International Hospitality and Applied Travel and Tourism.
3. Courses: Food and Beverage Management, Tour Operations Management, Culture and Heritage Tourism, Urban Tourism Planning, Economics of Leisure and Travel, Sustainable Tourism, Sport and Medical Tourism, and Global MICE.

Webster University in Tashkent — Adjunct Associate Professor (2020–2023)

1. Teaching: Environmental Ethics, Introduction to Tourism and Development, and Global Cornerstone seminars.

University of LUISS Guido Carli, Rome — Tourism Management Research Fellow (2016–2018)

1. Research and teaching: Conducted tourism management research, delivered lectures, and led workshops for M.Sc. students.

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain — Tourism Studies Teaching Assistant (2015–2016)

1. Teaching: Seminar classes in Environmental Economics, Tourism Demand Analysis, and Sustainable Tourism Planning for M.Sc. students.

Alieva, D., Aktamov, Sh., Usmonova, G., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2023). Societal pressure or free choice: what matters for gender composition of informal networks in the workplace? In: Antonyuk A., and Basov N. (Eds.) Networks in the Global World VI. NetGloW 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol.663, 173-190. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29408-2_12

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., and Aktamov, Sh. (2021). Intervenção social através do desenvolvimento do turismo comunitário: Caso do Usbequistão. In Fialho, J. (Ed.), Manual para a intervenção social. Lisbon: Edições Sílabo. ISBN: 978989-561-187-4.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., Shadmanov, S. and Aktamov, S. (2023). Fishery culture, sustainable resources usage and transformations needed for local community development: the case of Aral Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10:1285618. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1285618

Usmonova, G., Alieva, D., and Leon J. C. (2022). Yurt invited: combining tourists and stakeholders perceptions on sustainable community-based tourism in Central Asia. Sustainability, 14, 7540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137540

Alieva, D., and Usmonova, G. (2021). Sustainability perceptions of Community Based Tourism by stakeholders in Central Asia. Local Development and Society, 2(2), 224-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/26883597.2021.1953944

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., and Aktamov, Sh. (2021). Effects of Covid-19 pandemic on application of community-based tourism as a type of social intervention. Espacios Transnacionales, 8(16), 72-80.

Alieva, D. and Usmonova, G. (2026). Community-Led Governance for Sustainable Tourism in Emerging Destinations. 9th International Conference on Tourism Research (ICTR 2026). April 16-17, 2026, Lisbon, Portugal.

Alieva, D., and Usmonova, G. (2025). Relational dynamics in the practice of community-based tourism. TMS Algarve 2025: Technology and Sustainability Challenges in Tourism, Hospitality and Management. November 12-15, 2025, Faro, Portugal.

Usmonova, G., and Alieva D. (2025). From yurts to sustainability: Building climate resilience in Uzbekistan’s community-based tourism sector. TMS Algarve 2025: Technology and Sustainability Challenges in Tourism, Hospitality and Management. November 12-15, 2025, Faro, Portugal.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., Shadmanov, Sh., and Aktamov, Sh. (2024). Exploración de la cultura pesquera, dinámicas comunitarias y resiliencia frente a la crisis del Mar de Aral (Exploring fishing culture, community dynamics and resilience in the face of the Aral Sea crisis). XV Congreso Español de Sociología 2024, June 26-29, 2024, Seville, Spain.

Alieva, D., Shadmanov, Sh., Aktamov., Sh., and Usmonova, G. (2023). Out of sight, out of mind: effect of changes in the workplace on personal networks. 7th European Conference on Social Networks (EUSN 2023), September 4-8, 2023, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., Aktamov, Sh., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2022). Passion or profession: factors that can help to attract highly qualified ex-employees after pandemic. TMS Algarve 2022: Sustainability challenges in Tourism, Hospitality and Management, November 16-18, 2022, Olhão, Portugal.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., Aktamov, Sh., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2022). Atracción de talento en el sector turístico en las condiciones postpandémicas (Talent attraction in tourism sector in postpandemic conditions). XIV Congreso Español de Sociología 2022, June 30-July 2, 2022, Murcia, Spain.

Alieva, D., Aktamov, Sh., Usmonova, G., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2022). Societal pressure or free choice: what matters for gender composition of informal networks in the workplace? Networks in the Global World (NetGloW2022), June 22-24, 2022, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

Alieva, D., Aktamov, Sh., Usmonova, G., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2022). Invisibles in online: how being excluded from virtual community can decrease your chances for success in the workplace. XXIII Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development, April 4-8, 2022, Moscow, Russia.

Usmonova, G., Alieva, D., and Aktamov, Sh. (2022). Love it and/or leave it: Paradox of country image versus lack of awareness around sustainable tourism among young adults. ITSA 2022 Gran Canaria - 9th Biennial Conference: Corporate Entrepreneurship and Global Tourism Strategies After Covid 19, July 25-29, 2022, Gran Canaria, Spain.

Aktamov, Sh., Alieva, D., Shadmanov, Sh., and Usmonova, G. (2022). How does network properties impact on financial incentives of employees: evidence from Higher Education Institutions in Uzbekistan? Sunbelt 2022: XLII Social Networks Conference, July 12-16, 2022 Cairns, Australia.

Usmonova, G., Alieva, D., and Aktamov, Sh. (2022). Perceived tourism development, shaping attitudes and pride among young adults towards sustainable tourism planning. THE INC 2022: 3rd Tourism, Hospitality and Events International Conference, June 22-24, 2022, Limassol, Cyprus.

Alieva, D., Aktamov, Sh., Usmonova, G., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2021). Changes in professional networks in times of crisis. 5th European Conference on Social Networks (EUSN 2021), September 7-10, 2021, Naples, Italy.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., Aktamov, Sh., and Shadmanov, Sh. (2021). Community-based tourism market of Uzbekistan through social networks analysis prism. Networks 2021, July 5-10, 2021, USA.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., and Aktamov, Sh. (2019). Impact of information insufficiency on tourists' decision-making. Gran Canaria SSTD2019: IV Spring Symposium on Challenges in Tourism Development, Palma, Spain.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., and Aktamov, Sh. (2019). Влияниепозиционирования культурныхсобытий наразвитие туристскойотрасли (Impact of positioning of cultural events on the development of tourism industry). The International Conference Proceedings on "Investments and entrepreneurship: challenges and prospects", Tashkent, May 7th.

Alieva, D., Usmonova, G., and Sorokin, D. (2019). Analysis of readiness of some touristic objects of Tashkent for tourism flow growing. Round table proceedings on "The sphere of service, tourism and hospitality: sustainable development and innovation", Tashkent, September 13th.

Usmonova, G., Alieva, D., and León, C.J. (2022, July 25). Community-Based Tourism in Central Asia. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/25489

Usmonova, G. (2025, August 5). Selling the Silk Road: How gentrification is reshaping Uzbekistan’s historic cities. Ajam Media Collective. https://ajammc.com/2025/08/05/gentrification-bukhara-uzbekistan/

Usmonova, G. (2025, March 31). Uzbekistan’s tourism crossroads: Growth, gentrification, and the struggle for authenticity. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uzbekistans-tourism-crossroads-growth-gentrification-usmonova-ph-d-t7w1f/?trackingId=hGObWce6d138wT8kjG0aag%3D%3D

Usmonova, G. (2025, January 27). Tourism vs. talent: Migration intentions in a booming economy. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tourism-vs-talent-migration-intentions-can-booming-usmonova-ph-d-piqkf/?trackingId=yhAyV8vt30%2FVcfrrPY0dBQ%3D%3D