The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Government of Mongolia have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation with a view to promoting sustainable tourism in the country. UNWTO…
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Government of Mongolia have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation with a view to promoting sustainable tourism in the country. UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Francesco Frangialli, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mr. Tsegmid Tsengel, Minister of Road, Transport and Tourism of Mongolia, reaffirming UNWTO’s assistance in the sustainable tourism development of the country.
“Mongolia has great potential to be a new emerging destination for niche markets in the fields of ecotourism, adventure tourism, sport and cultural tourism, based on its unique culture and natural beauty”, said Mr. Frangialli.
He encouraged capacity building of the tourism sector to upgrade the qualification and ability of tourism services. “Tourism has become the most important sector of Mongolia in the past 3 years, and we expect to open the North Eastern Province as a new tourism destination through the assistance of UNWTO”, Mr. Tsengel added. Mr. Frangialli paid an official visit to Mongolia from 16 to 18 June 2006 at the invitation of the Government of Mongolia for the first time as Secretary General of UNWTO.
Mr. Frangialli also held discussions with Mongolian Prime Minister Mr. M. Enkhbold to exchange views on future tourism development for the country. The Prime Minister mentioned that the seasonality of the country’s tourism is one of the biggest challenges to the sector and requested the assistance of UNWTO in addressing this issue.
This year, Mongolia is celebrating the 800th Anniversary of Great Mongolian State. A number of unique events are being held nationwide throughout the year, and it is expected to attract more international tourists for their biggest traditional festival ‘Naadam’ in July. 338,000 leisure tourists visited Mongolia last year and the number of arrivals increased by 15.4% from 2004. Tourism officials in Mongolia have emphasized the importance of tourism to the country’s economy, with the sector generating 10% of overall GDP in Mongolia, and this figure is expected to grow significantly in the future.
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