Today tourism in Kyrgyzstan is one of the most important directions of integration of our republic into the world community. Presence of considerable tourist resources and great potential for developing both internal and international tourism testifies this. Turusbek Mamashov, Director of the State Agency on Tourism under Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, told about the present state of tourism and perspectives of development in the interview with the correspondent of Tourismkg.org

–  Turusbek Chukuevich, in many countries tourism plays a considerable in forming the gross domestic product. What can be said about our country?

– For the recent years Kyrgyzstan made a great step in developing and integrating the domestic tourist industry into the world tourism. The unique natural and historical and cultural resources of the nomadic people, which are of interest for the world tourism development, characterize it as an independent and perspective branch of the economy of our republic. Tourism is considered to be a priority branch of the economy at the state level. The branch is introduced into the Development Strategy of the country for 2007-2010 as a key segment of Kyrgyzstan’s economic development by initiative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. Today the importance of tourism, as a source of currency receipts, broadening international contacts, and providing population’s employment, grows as never before; and this characterizes tourism as one of the few dynamically developing branches of the domestic business.

– What changes does the domestic tourist industry require?

– The most important in developing the domestic tourism is transforming the mentality of the people engaged in the tourist industry. Our task is to increase the level of personnel education, improve the quality of the tourist service rendered and the level of service activities. After all the tourist is not only our potential customer, but a friend in the heart of whom love of our country, of its people will always live and he will long for it again and again. Despite the undertaken measures today there are still a lot of unresolved problems on the way of the tourist industry development. Their effective resolution allows to considerably increase the stream of tourists and receipts inflow into the economy of the country, and therefore, on the one hand, to provide tax proceeds into the different level budgets, and on the other hand to promote development of the regions and adjoining branches of industry, to increase the population’s employment.

– What makes Kyrgyzstan attractive as a tourist country?

– It is the unique geographical location of the Kyrgyz land with its richest natural resources. The virgin beauty of our country, the magnificence and fascination of our mountain peaks, the air freshness, the scalding coolness and cleanness of our rivers and lakes, among which there is the unique possession of our country, which is a tourist Mecca not only for the citizens of Kyrgyzstan but also for its numerous visitors – Issyk-Kul lake. And certainly the people with its romantic appeal of thousands-year history and wonderful legends of the nomadic people with the original cultural heritage, astonishing ancient customs and traditions. Kyrgyzstan since olden days was an important junction on the busy routes of international, diplomatic and cultural communications between the East and the West. Today the most competitive and attractive types are resort and recreation tourism, mountain adventure tourism, tourism on the Great Silk Way, and business tourism. Because our republic occupies a favorable position on the trade routes. And nowadays it becomes more and more attractive for the admirers of extreme recreation, businessmen, sportsmen and scientists, people interested in the history and culture of the countries situated on the Great Silk Way. Every region of our republic has interesting natural, historical and cultural sights and a definite tourist potential, which can become an important factor in developing a single region as well as the whole country. But the most important is to provide the two-way movement towards the steady tourism. Tourists must estimate their demands impartially, be ready to consume new service. And the host and serving side must introduce the forms based on the concept of steady development. Then achieving the cherished goal will become more practicable, and the main question asked by the visitors to our country will be: “When will I come here again?”