21 August, 2024
Mongolia, with its beautiful land and open spaces, is hoping to get more foreign visitors.
Like most countries, Mongolia's tourism industry was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia” campaign to gain more visitors. The government has added flights and simplified the visa process, offering visa-free visits for many countries.
At least 437,000 foreign visitors came in the first seven months of this year, up 25 percent over the same period last year.
That total includes increasing numbers from Europe, the United States and Japan. Visitors from South Korea nearly doubled, thanks in part to the fact that the flight between the countries is under four hours.
However, Mongolia's government is still short of its goal of 1 million visitors per year from 2023-2025.
The country has a population of 3.3 million people. About half of them live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. As a result, there is plenty of open space for adventure tourists to explore, said Egjimaa Battsooj, who works for a tour company.
The company offers adventures including horseback trips and camping trips with the possibility of staying in gers, the traditional homes still used by Mongolia's herders.
There is little chance of running across private property, so few places are off-limits, she said.
“You don't need to open a gate, you don't need to have permission from anyone,” Battsooj said, sitting in front of a map of Mongolia.
“We are kind of like the last truly nomad culture on the whole planet,” she added.
Lonely Planet, a travel guide publisher, named Mongolia its top destination in its Best in Travel 2024 report. The pope's visit to Mongolia last year also helped bring attention to the country.
Its breakdancers became stars at last year's Asian Games. And some local bands have developed a global following, like The Hu, a band that mixes traditional Mongolian instruments and throat singing with modern rock.
Most people know little about Mongolia. American tourist Michael John said he knew some of the history about Genghis Khan. He had also seen a documentary on eagles used by hunters before deciding to stop in Ulaanbaatar as part of a longer vacation.
“It was a great opportunity to learn more,” the 40-year-old said.
Tourism represented 7.2 percent of Mongolia's gross domestic product and 7.6 percent of its employment in 2019 before the industry collapsed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank says. But the organization noted chances for “substantial growth” for Mongolia, with “diverse nature and stunning sceneries” and sports and adventure tourism possibilities.
Mongolia tourism advertisements bring attention to all of those interests. The ads show beautiful frozen lakes in winter, the Northern Lights and events like reindeer sledding and riding, camel racing, and hiking.
Munkhjargal Dayan offers rides on camels, traditional archery and the opportunity to have eagles trained for hunting stand on a visitor's arm.
“We want to show tourists coming from other countries that we have such a way of life in Mongolia,” he said, waiting for tourists by a big statue of Genghis Kahn on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar.
Outside the lively capital, getting around can be difficult in summer as the land becomes wet. There are limited roads and buildings, a shortage of places to stay, and a lack of skilled labor in some areas.
It is also easy for foreigners to get lost, with few signs in English, said Dutch tourist Jasper Koning. Nevertheless, he said he was thoroughly enjoying his trip.
“The weather is super, the scenery is more than super, it's clean, the people are friendly,” he said.
I'm John Russell.
Olivia Zhang and David Rising reported this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
tourism – n. the practice of traveling for fun
adventure –n. an experience that is exciting
tourist – n. a person who travels for fun
horseback – adj. on the back of a horse
nomad – n. a member of a people who move from place to place usually seasonally
breakdancer – n. a person who breakdances (performs a kind of hip-hop dance)
gross domestic product (GDP) –n. a measure of the size of a country's economy equal to the value of all the goods and services produced in one year
substantial – adj. considerable in quantity, important
stunning – adj. impressive especially in beauty or excellence
scenery – n. a beautiful view or landscape