ULAN BATOR, Jul 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – Mongolia received a total of 339,517 foreign tourists in the first half of this year, up 75.7 percent year-on-year, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism said, yesterday.
Russia, China and South Korea were the biggest sources of tourist arrivals for Mongolia, in the Jan-Jun period, the ministry said in a statement.
The Mongolian government has been taking measures to revive the pandemic-hit tourism sector.
In Jan, 34 countries were granted visa-free entry to Mongolia for tourism purposes, which increased the number of visa-exempt countries to 61.
The country has also declared 2023-2025 as “Years to Visit Mongolia” to promote tourism.
Currently, Mongolia’s economy is largely dependent on its export-oriented mining sector. Developing tourism is seen as the most viable way to diversify the economy.
The country has set a goal of welcoming one million foreign tourists and earning one billion U.S. dollars from tourism in the coming years.– NNN-XINHUA
