Rest in Kyrgyzstan has been recognized as the best according to "National Geographic," and one of the well-known Russian rankings of popular resort destinations has placed Issyk-Kul at the top.
Kyrgyzstan has been recognized as the leader in the nomination "Best Wellness Vacation" by the travel magazine "National Geographic Traveler."
As reported by the well-known Russian journalist and traveler, author and host of the "My Planet" TV channel, Mark Podrabinek, the magazine has been conducting this competition for the fourth consecutive year. The voting took place in two stages. First, a survey was conducted among tourism professionals who helped compile a list of nominees in each of the 16 categories. Information about them was posted on the publication's website, and then readers could express their opinions on those they considered the best.
According to the publisher of the magazine in Russia, Irina Kovalovich, the project turned out to be truly in demand, with more than 230,000 people participating in the voting on the website. They made their choices from among 80 proposed countries, 20 Russian tourist destinations, 18 airlines, 18 chain hotels, 75 travel resources, and 17 cruise companies. Kovalovich wished everyone gathered in the hall, including representatives of the Russian and foreign public, the winning countries, and companies, new bright travels, new discoveries, and good friends.
"It's not easy to travel the world, test the most interesting places for travel, and know where people want to go. And our award helps us a lot in this," said Alexander Zheleznyak, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler, who then took the floor. Meanwhile, the number of tourists visiting Issyk-Kul this summer increased by 20%. This was reported by the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Information, and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic.
“This summer, more than 740,000 people visited the Issyk-Kul region, which is 19.5% more than in the same period last year. Last year, Kyrgyzstan was visited by 3 million 89 thousand tourists. For the development of tourism and the economy, it is important that tourists come not only in the summer but year-round. Year-round visits to Issyk-Kul resorts by at least 20% of the total number of tourists would be a great success. Meanwhile, there are good opportunities for tourism development. This includes promoting eco-tourism and ethno-tourism.”
FOR REFERENCE: According to the Border Service, this year, 70% more tourists from China have visited the pearl of Kyrgyzstan, while the number from South Korea has decreased by 50%. The number of tourists from Germany has also noticeably increased by 30% - totaling 1,071 people. Citizens of Turkey are no exception, with interest in Issyk-Kul shown by 33.5% or 2,500 people. At the same time, the flow of tourists from the USA has decreased by 19%. According to the Ministry of Culture, the tourism budget of Kyrgyzstan amounts to 7 million soms or about 150 thousand dollars per year. This amount is too small to elevate the industry to the necessary level, officials from the Ministry of Culture lament. At the same time, tourism is a budget-forming sector of the economy and has been declared a priority direction.
Earlier, the Russian online booking service Oktogo.ru identified the most popular resort destinations for summer vacations of Russian tourists in the CIS and post-Soviet space. The ranking of resorts was compiled based on booking data for summer 2014. The list included resorts where a week-long summer vacation, including accommodation, meals, and excursions, would cost Russians no more than 25,000 rubles and located no more than three hours away from the capitals of the respective countries.
According to the resource, Lake Issyk-Kul tops the top 10 summer resorts of the former USSR for Russians traveling independently.
As noted by the resource Oktogo.ru, Issyk-Kul attracts tourists with its "crystal clear water, sandy beaches, excursions to mountain waterfalls and pastures, swimming in radon baths, and fresh apricots."
Source: time.kg
