Tourism may include 10% of Mongolia’s gross home product if the rustic can draw in 2 million annual vacationers via 2030, the rustic’s tourism minister informed CNBC Wednesday.
“We have a big, ambitious kind of goal, which is about 2 million tourists by 2030, which will be around a $4 billion contribution towards our GDP,” stated Nomin Chinbat, Mongolia’s minister of tradition, sports activities, tourism and early life.
Money from vacationers recently makes up between 3%-4% of Mongolia’s GDP, she stated.
The landlocked Asian nation welcomed a record-breaking 808,000 foreigners in 2024, and passion continues to upward push, particularly amongst the ones in the hunt for nature, journey, tradition and non secular tourism, Chinbat stated.
“Tourism numbers have been growing quite rapidly,” she stated. “Year on year, growth has been around 9%. We’re wishing to increase it to 16%.”
Incoming flights from america
United Airlines’ first flight to Mongolia landed Thursday evening, an tournament Chinbat known as a “milestone” for the rustic’s tourism business.
“We’ve recently done a Mongolian tourism strategy with Boston Consulting Group, and one of the key aspects in order to improve our tourism industry is international connectivity, and especially from North America.”
She stated Mongolia is hoping that the thrice-weekly flights, which land in Tokyo earlier than departing for the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, will “at least the double” the collection of U.S. guests, which ultimate yr crowned 22,000 other folks.
“The USA is one of our source markets, a market we’re working towards, and the fact that it is one airline, even though it’s connecting in Narita [Airport], it will make it much more convenient for people to be able to fly to Mongolia.”
Most inbound vacationers to Mongolia hail from its neighboring international locations of China and Russia, in addition to South Korea.
Investing in infrastructure
Mongolia wishes to take a position $4 billion to construct roads, motels, camps and different infrastructure to enhance its burgeoning tourism business, Chinbat stated.
“The government is creating low-rate, long term loans for public and private entities to cooperate together in order to quickly increase the infrastructure,” she stated.
As passion in visiting Mongolia rises, Chinbat stated, the rustic’s largest problem is making sure that the rustic grows in a sustainable means.
“We need to make sure that our natural resources are … sustained. And on the other side, that locals benefits from the tourists coming into Mongolia too,” she stated.