In 1994 The
World Tourism Organization decided to implement
the project which they called "Silk Road
Project" in order to promote tourism
in the original road of Marco Polo. Can you
tell us how the tourism Industry has progressed
and developed from 1994 in Kyrgyzstan?
Tourism cannot be considered as a separate
block of the economy or as tourism of one
country only, because it has a quite global
character and here I agree that one of the
priority directions of tourism is the Silk
Road Tourism. But. Unfortunately, those integration
issues, which have by achieved by 1994, were
changed later on. At first, this is leaving
of the CIS countries agreement of non-visa
entrance to other countries. And this non-visa
traveling also affected the foreign tourists.
That is why today we are speeding the problem
of bilateral agreements with the countries,
through the Institutes as Shanghai Organization
of Cooperation, Eurasian Community, and with
the help of those organizations we are planning
to establish the council on Silk Road the
members of which will be China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
and Kyrgyzstan. So, it is along the whole
Silk Road up to Europe. Now we are completing
the work on those establishment documents.
And I think with the help of this organization
we'll achieve one Silk Road Visa. The private
sector, I mean, those private firms, which
are making this tourism products, they are
ready. The only thing, which is, needed that
is state support.
How will you describe the tourism sector
in Kyrgyzstan from the resorts in Issyk-Kul
Lake to the International Trekking Center?
What does Kyrgyzstan offer for tourists
and how it's developed?
At first, we should say that Kyrgyzstan
has the potential of tourism development
in different directions. That is the resort
development. The second is the ecological
tourism. The third is the adventure tourism.
And the last is the tours along, the Silk
Road, which will combine with the ecological
tourism. Why so? Because the eco-tourism
includes the tendency of historical places.
For the tourist, who cones, for example,
from Europe, of course, it will be interesting
to attend the whole Central Asia. That is
why very much will depend of decision of
the neigh boring countries. Kyrgyzstan is
ready for all integration issues.
What is the nature of most visitors
the country Kyrgyzstan, I thought it is
quite even broken down. You have number
coming from the United States. You have
some from Europe: Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland. Are there markets that you
world like to target in future? For example,
the Japanese market, Korean market. What
kind of visitors you would like to attract
to Kyrgyzstan?
For the highly developed countries we have
different approaches, for example, the first
link here is the visa support. For Japan
it is non-visa entrance to Kyrgyzstan. The
main problem, I see here is the transport
communications. Of course here are problems'
with visa. As our president said: "If
Marco Polo wanted to repeat the same route,
he wouldn't be able to do it, because there
were so many barriers on the way to get
visa. This problem bears the regional character.
Kyrgyzstan is ready to solve all the issues.
We have only one problem with the transport
communications; because we do no have an
access to the sea and it-is mostly air transportation.
That's why we are always coming out with
the proposals, making his issues very acute
before the government and other executive
offices to, maybe, enlarge the number of
flights of such companies like Turkish Air
Lines, British Air Lines, Aeroflot and to
create all the conditions for the tourists.
And why am I speaking about he leaving companies?
Because they have all the necessary conditions
for the tourists they have it in Internet,
they have an information for the tourists
they promote Kyrgyzstan in other countries.
It can be indirect advertisement of he country.
If we speak about the tourist, he main group
of tourist is from Europe.
How are you planning to attract more
flights to the country?
At firs, I want o say, where is the demand
there is the supply. Now we are working on
the marketing policy of course, after the
air companies know about the demand they will
supply the necessary amount of flights to
Kyrgyzstan. I can mention here that all the
current flights, which we are having now,
they are full.
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But it would be
nice if there were more flights and they were
all full. So you flights and there is few
people who knows what Kyrgyzstan is. Most
people don't know where this country exists.
They don't know that there is the second largest
Alpine lake in the world, that there are many
beautiful things and sights to see.
Starting, from last year we are working
on these issues. Last 10 years the private
sector, which worked in the field of tourism,
promoted this sector and maybe it was contributed,
but it wasn't systematic, advertising of
the country. Now we are speaking about a
state policy in marketing. Here I can say
that it is initiative of the president to
create the marketing policy. In the field
of tourism. This agency attracted several
American TV companies; TV groups are working
on taking films about Kyrgyzstan. And we
hope by the beginning of next year the films
about Kyrgyzstan will be shown on the Discovery
Channel, CNN and another companies. We are
also speaking about the Japanese TV Company,
who is shooting the film about our national
kinds of spot. In the first place is horse
riding? And, naturally, every country is
beautiful in its own way, but Kyrgyzstan
should has, its own visiting card. And now
we are working on what kind of visiting
card it should be. The first, what types
of tourism we are having. The second, the
maximum simple entering Kyrgyzstan and the
tours should be of original character.
We understand very clearly that person from
Europe, let us say from France, will not
come to Kyrgyzstan, because he already got
used visiting the Canaries, Hawaii, Nice.
And that's why when we speak about the Issyk-Kul
region and the tourism development we should
take to account such regions like Siberia,
Kazakhstan. And other types of tourism,
I think, should be promoted at the maximum
in Europe. The Japanese's are very much
interesting in eco-tourism with may be some
decline to religious tourism. Because they
are very much interesting in the history
of Buddhism, attending historical places
of Buddha. And Kyrgyzstan has such objects
with present interest for the Japanese's
tourists. And now historians are working
on these objects with have some ties with
Vatican. I hope very soon they will be emission
there to make some archeological investigations.
Now it is very impotent that Kyrgyzstan
offers something that another places can't
offer? What will your tell to our readers
about Kyrgyzstan offers that Switzerland
might not, other places in the world don't
offer?
At first, it is our historical heritage.
These are applied arts, sport games that
are very interesting for the tourists. And
one of the all-main components that is ecologically
pure products, food. I mean those vegetables
and fruits, which grow thanks to the balanced
ecosystem here. Maybe you will see yourselves
if you try our fruits. You will see that
they are not like a fruit that you can buy
in the markets of Europe or America.
My first specialty is engineer-constructor
and I have been here in this position from
January 2001 and before that for during
11 years I worked in the private tourism
sector. So I created the touring products.
We solved the tasks on that level, on promoting
the tourism products in the world. This
is in brief about me.
If you could send a message to our reader,
business people, investor, who is looking
for opportunities. What would you tell them
about Kyrgyzstan, potential possibilities
in the tourism sector?
First I want to say to all the reader of
magazine, to the tourist and potential investors
that the tourism is the people's diplomacy,
which allowed and will allow the people
to enrich themselves. It will be mutual
enrichment for all cultures. Tourism means
concord between peoples. When the process
of globalization takes place the main factor
will play an important role will be the
exchange of ideas and peoples visions of
living. People can ask the politicians and
put the task and challengers before them.
That is why Kyrgyzstan is now passing with
the policy of open sky, open doors. And
it would like to not to repeat somebody's
mistakes and would like to pass with the
policy when the ecological system is not
broken. It is our obligation to hand over
the country pure and ecologically stable
to other generation.
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V.I.P. INTERVIEWS
