Tourism in Mongolia

Distinctive and original culture, the old-time hospitality of Mongols, a remarkable variety of scenery, and the rich animal and plant kingdoms of Mongolia exert a fascination for tourists. Since Mongolia's transfer to the market economy in 1990, the tourism sector has evolved into a critical part of the country's development. It has been a major factor in Mongolia's union with the world trend of globalization. Prior to 1990 there were arrivals mainly from the Russian Federation and Eastern and Central Europe. After 1990 the number of leisure tourist arrivals has grown due to the increase of tourists predominantly from Japan, France, UK, Germany and USA. Their number is steadily increasing over the years. 2003 was declared "Visit Mongolia" year by the Government. Notwithstanding SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) disease in Asia, the number of tourists increased 2.8 times compared to 1999 reaching 200,000.

Around US$ 150 million are collected each year from travel and tourism, equal to 10% of the country's GDR The construction of more hotels, tourist camps, restaurants and reliable transportation networks which are up to international standards will draw more tourists to Mongolia and increase the profits of companies operating in the tourism sector. At the same time, Mongolia's transition to the market economy has resulted in the emergence of private sectors that have started to operate in the tourism industry. The number of private tourist companies has mushroomed nationwide, there are 495 tourism companies, 140 tourist camps and over 200 hotels. In accordance with the declaration of 2004 as the Discover Mongolia Year, the numbers of foreign tourists have been increasing. As of the first six months of 2004, a total of 107,977 tourists visited Mongolia. At the same time of last year, 74,365 tourists were welcomed to the country.