Tourism in Kyrgyzstan

Although Kyrgyzstan’s mountains and lakes are an attractive tourist destination, the tourism industry has grown very slowly because it has received little investment. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Kyrgyzstan.pdf Kyrgyzstan country profile] . Library of Congress Federal Research Division (January 2007). "This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.] In the early 2000s, an average of about 450,000 tourists visited annually, mainly from countries of the former Soviet Union.

Lake Issyk-Kul and the Tian Shan mountains are relatively popular tourist destinations.

Cultural Attractions

Kyrgyz culture is based on nomadic traditions that harkens back to the days of the Mongol hordes. Although modern Kyrgyz people live mainly in houses or apartment buildings, in the summer time it is still possible to observe the native people living in a yurt with their herds of sheep, goats, horses, and occasionally even yaks. There are a number of yurt camps that cater to tourists in every oblast; some of the most notable (and remote) are in Tash Rabat, the "House of Stones" in Naryn oblast past Naryn City, and in Jeti-Ögüz ("Seven Bulls") Valley near the city of Karakol on Lake Issyk-Kul.

Kyrgyz women produce a variety of handicrafts created out of felt, including slippers, bags, decorative panels, traditional hats known as "Kalpaks" and colorful carpets called "shyrdaks." These carpets are made in a variety of sizes, from foot-by-foot sized to several yards in length. Shyrdaks come in a wide variety of traditional patterns; the Kyrgyz favor brightly colored ones, often combining bright red and green. More subtly-hued shyrdaks, made for foreign customers, can be found in Bishkek, often for a slightly higher price than the more "traditional" carpets. Naryn oblast is widely considered the home of the best shyrdak makers in the country; there are several cooperatives there where it is possible to commission a work specially.

Eco-Tourism

Currently there are several efforts to promote "eco-friendly" tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Helvetas, a Swiss cultural development organization, sponsored several projects of this sort, including "Shepard's Life," and "Community Based Tourism." The many tourist companies in Kyrgyzstan understand that "eco-" anything sounds very appealing to the many backpackers that come to their country, so they tend to use it to describe their organization, even if they do nothing to promote "low-impact" or "leave no trace" camping. However, the very nature of the type of tourists that are attracted to Kyrgyzstan dictates that most of the tourist attractions offered are aimed at enjoying the beauty that the local environment has to offer.

ee also

*Cuisine of Kyrgyzstan

Links

*dmoz|Regional/Asia/Kyrgyzstan/Travel_and_Tourism
*wikitravel|Kyrgyzstan

References