IS ANY TOURISM GOOD FOR THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC? December 2017
Tourism is one of the sectors where the link with a clean and healthy environment, vast natural landscapes and protection of plants and animals is obvious. Both local and international visitors enjoy the Kyrgyz Republic’s beauty, and the cool mountains provide respite from hot summers in the city. Although tourism is still relatively undeveloped, prospects are bright, and it is expected that within the near future, jobs will grow in the tourism sector, as will the sector’s contribution to the development of our country. But we need to be careful. If we do not plan well the impact of large numbers of tourists will soon destroy the very reason why they come.
(all data for 2016) GDP CONTRIBUTION: KGS 21.5bn (4.7% of GDP) EMPLOYMENT DIRECT: 8,300 jobs EMPLOYMENT INDIRECT (estimate): 89,500 jobs (3.7% of total) EXPORT EARNINGS DUE TO SPENDING BY VISITORS (VISITOR EXPORTS): US$415.6 million (49% of total service exports or 27% of total export income)
Ranking of the Kyrgyz Republic:
In terms of long term growth forecast...**
ORGANISED VISITORS: 627,000 people
In terms of environmental sustainability...*
In terms of natural resources...*
124
120
*sub ranking of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015 **of total ranked by the World Travel and Tourism Council
UNDP–UN Environment Poverty-Environment Initiative
KEY STATISTICS:
UNORGANISED VISITORS: 645,000 people VISITORS TO PROTECTED AREAS: 67,000 people (10.6% of organised tourists)
Kyrgyzstan possesses unique nature with protected areas covering 7.6 per cent of its territory. It has other natural attractions, which draw hikers, birdwatchers and mountaineering enthusiasts. With an increasing number of tourists visiting for these outdoor activities, it is important to make sure that the places they go to do not become degraded and stay clean and safe. The Kyrgyz Republic should consider how to support more rapid development of sustainable tourism, including sustainable nature-based tourism. This will not be possible with current low levels of government expenditure. The expenditure review estimates that the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Culture spends on average only 5 per cent of its budget or approximately KGS 1.2 million per year on environmentally sustainable tourism. This is partly because institutional responsibilities and tasks to ensure environmentally sustainable tourism still need to be better defined.
According to the UN Environment and UN World Tourism Organisation World Conservation Union, sustainable tourism is “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. As such sustainable tourism should make optimal use of environmental resources while maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. For more information: sdt.unwto.org The State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry should work together with the Tourism Department and with local governments to identify and implement the most appropriate ways of developing environmentally sustainable tourism. This could be by promoting a voluntary sustainable tourism certification scheme supplemented with education campaigns, as well as by regulating tourism flows. The State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry should assess the carrying capacities in protected areas and manage tourist flows there to reduce negative impacts. This might include redirecting tourists to the less sensitive areas, advising them on how to behave appropriately and installing necessary infrastructure for managing waste and waste water. Similarly, the local governments should put in place and ensure proper maintenance of water, waste water and waste management infrastructure in the most visited areas, so that they are kept clean, pleasant and safe for everybody. The State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry should also work together with private sector and local governments to develop and implement positive examples of public-private partnerships in management of national parks and their surrounding areas. The Ministry of Economics together with the Ministry of Culture and the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry should ensure that environmental sustainability is integrated into national tourism development priorities.
Information based on: Policy and Institutional Review for Environment Financing with a Focus on Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation in the Kyrgyz Republic (2017) Public and Private Expenditure Review (2017) For further information, visit the BIOFIN knowledge platform: http://biodiversityfinance.net/knowledge-platform
KGS 1.2 million per year on sustainable tourism translates into:
14 soms per person directly or indirectly employed in tourism industry (for 2016).
3
soms
per every US$1,000 earned through visitors’ exports
0.006% of the total contribution of the tourism sector to GDP.
“We need to develop tourism, let’s be real! People need jobs and income – in rural areas there are not many jobs. Sustainable tourism is an answer to some of the problems there. People will have work, they will learn to appreciate nature!” REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, MINISTRY OF CULTURE, INFORMATION AND TOURISM
Photo credit: Evgeniy Khilkevitch. Sourced from Flickr via Creative Commons