Kyrgyzstan becomes more attractive for foreigners
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
For the development of domestic and international tourism, Kyrgyzstan has a rich natural, recreational and environmental potential.
Much attention in the field of investment opportunities is paid to the tourism industry, as tourism is one of the priority areas of the Kyrgyz economy.
At the present stage of development of Kyrgyzstan, the following types of tourism are distinguished: adventure, ski, sport hunting, fishing, collecting medicinal herbs, mountaineering, sightseeing and educational routes to the south and north of the country with a rest in Issyk-Kul and in the mountains.
The number of foreign citizens who visited Kyrgyzstan in 2018 exceeded 7 million people, which is more than 1.5 times more compared to 2017, the press service of the National Statistical Committee informs.
Most of all people arrived in the republic from neighboring Uzbekistan - 48 percent of the total number of foreign citizens. Kazakhstan ranked second - 38 percent, Russia third - 7 percent, and Tajikistan fourth - 3 percent.
Of these, 1.4 million people indicated “other” as the reason for their visit to Kyrgyzstan. The most popular holiday destination for foreigners is traditionally Lake Issyk-Kul - more than 900,000 people visited it in 2018.
According to preliminary estimates, gross value added in tourism last year amounted to more than 27 billion soms ($386.5 million), or 5 percent of GDP, remaining at the level of 2017.
As many as 486 recreation facilities and tourism organizations carried reception and tourist services in 2018. Of these, 187 are specialized accommodation facilities, 185 hotels, 64 travel agencies and tour operators, travel and excursion agencies, nine natural parks and more than 40 other tourist sites.
Kyrgyzstan has a visa-free regime for citizens of more than 40 countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Cuba, Malaysia (up to 30 days), Mongolia (up to 90 days), Turkey (up to 30 days), Ukraine (up to 90 days), Uzbekistan (up to 60 days) and Japan.
In order to develop tourism and attract investment, Kyrgyzstan declared a visa-free regime for a period of 60 days in 2012 for citizens of Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany , the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and the Vatican.
The safety of tourists during the preparation and conduct of the “Tourist season” in the country is ensured by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan.
Thus, Kyrgyzstan has opened its heart wide for guests from many countries. Come to Kyrgyzstan and discover its history, culture and hospitality!
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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