A huge country, without exit to sea, targets with an ambitious plan for tourism to bring 10% of GDP
Tourists taking pictures at the foot of the Altai Mountains in Mongolia, Photo: Saltat007 / Dreamstime.com
Tourism could represent 10% of Mongolia's gross domestic product if the country manages to attract 2 million tourists annually by 2030, the Minister of Tourism in the huge country told CNBC.
“We have a great and ambitious goal, which means about 2 million tourists by 2030, which would mean a contribution of about $ 4 billion to our GDP,” said Nomin Chinned, Minister of Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth in Mongolia, a country with an area of 1,564,000 square kilometers.
She said that the money from tourism is now between 3% and 4% of Mongolia GDP.
Chinned emphasized that the Asian country without exit to the sea received a record number of 808,000 foreign tourists in 2024, and the interest continues to increase, especially among those interested in nature, adventure, culture and “spiritual tourism”.
“The number of tourists increased quite rapidly. From year to year, the growth was about 9%. We want to increase it to 16%,” she said.
Direct US-Mongolia flights
The first flight to Mongolia of United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the US, landed in the Asian country on May 1, an event that painted called “a reference moment” for the tourism industry in the country.
“We have recently developed a strategy for Mongol tourism with Boston Consulting Group, and one of the key aspects to improve our tourist industry is international connectivity, especially with North America,” said the Minister of Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth.
She said that Mongolia hopes that by flights three times a week, which first lands in Tokyo before leaving for the Mongolian Capital of Ulaanbaatar, to double the “at least” the number of visitors in the US, which last year exceeded 22,000 people:
“The US is one of our reference markets, a market we are facing, and the fact that we have an airline – even if it makes a stop in Narita (no – Narita Airport in Tokyo) – will make the road to Mongolia more convenient for people.”
Currently, most foreign tourists coming to Mongolia come from neighboring countries, China and Russia, as well as from South Korea.
Investments in infrastructure for tourism development
Mongolia needs investments of $ 4 billion to build roads, hotels, camps and other infrastructure elements to support the developing tourist industry, said Chinted.
Mongolia currently has almost 30 airports, but only two of them, serving the capital Ulaanbaatar, operates international races.
“The government creates long -term loans, with reduced interest, for public and private entities to collaborate to accelerate the development of the infrastructure,” said Mongolese minister.
As the interest in visiting Mongolia grows, Chinned said that the biggest challenge of the country is to make sure that this development is done in a sustainable way.
“We must make sure that our natural resources are … protected. And, on the other hand, that the locals also benefit from the tourists coming to Mongolia,” she added.
Photo article: Salt007 | Dreamstime.com.
