Daniyar Amangeldiev, the Minister of Economy and Commerce, has issued a call to his fellow citizens to respect tourists visiting Kyrgyzstan, 24.kg reports. The appeal, which is posted on the department’s website, emphasizes the importance of the tourism industry and the role of tourists as direct investors.
Learning from successful models
Amangeldiev drew attention to the success of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and cities in Turkey, which attract about 40 mn tourists annually. In 2022, the UAE’s travel and tourism sector contributed nearly AED 167bn ($45.5bn) to the country’s GDP, equivalent to 9% of the total GDP. Similarly, Turkey welcomed about 22.18 mn tourists in the first half of 2023, marking a robust 29.2% increase compared to the previous year.
Economic impact of tourism
Amangeldiev highlighted that every dollar spent by a tourist contributes directly to the development of the tourism sector. He stressed that a change in attitude towards tourists could significantly advance the industry.
In Kyrgyzstan, the tourism sector experienced a 72.46% decline in 2020 due to the global pandemic, with the total number of tourists dropping to 195,000. However, the country has been making steady progress in its recovery, with the number of tourists increasing by 29.2% in the first half of 2023.
Global perspective
As per Amangeldiev, all developing countries are striving to attract a large influx of tourists and are creating the necessary conditions for this. He emphasized the need to start with respect for foreign students and tourists, which will allow local tourism to attract the attention of the global community.
“We must understand that the money left from each tourist goes to the development of the tourism sector. When we change the attitude towards tourists, the industry will move forward,” he said.
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