Silk Road Conference asserts Mongolia’s role in nomadic tourism development

Oyundelger 2016-10-12 11:10

Tourism & Nature

Silk Road Conference asserts Mongolia’s role in nomadic tourism development.

Silk Road Conference asserts Mongolia’s role in nomadic tourism development. The International Silk Road Conference of Nomadic Tourism and Sustainable Cities is underway in Mongolia being attended by more than 350 delegates from 33 countries and international tourism organizations. Opening the conference Speaker of Mongolian Parliament, Mr. M.Enkhbold highlighted tourism is one of the most thriving industries of economy in this era of globalization. Nowadays, tourists tend to be attracted to getaways from their civilized lifestyles for extraordinary cultures and pristine landscapes. This is an opportunity for some nations to exploit, said the Speaker. Mr. Speaker shared with the gathered that the Mongolian government has set a goal to become a center of nomadic tourism, set out in the Concept of Sustainable Development until 2030. According to the latest statistics, Mongolia hosts about 400 thousand tourists each year, which results in revenue of USD 263 million or 3.2 percent of the country’s GDP and 3.6 percent of total export. Tourism in Mongolia creates 50 thousand workplaces at home and ranks 99th place in the world and 19th in Asia-Pacific by competitiveness, the Speaker mentioned in his opening remarks. The government has been aiming to increase the number of tourists per year to one million by 2020, and the share of tourism revenue in the GDP to eight percent, stated the Minister of Tourism. Mongolia has played a historic role in developing one of the world’s most ancient and important trade route called the Silk Road, which bridged peoples, ethnicities and scientific inventions. The Silk Road Conference is of historical significance for making Mongolia the hub of nomadic tourism development, the Minister said.