With its reindeer sleigh rides, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all.
Like most countries, its tourism industry was devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia” campaign to win people back. The government has added flights and streamlined the visa process, offering visa-free visits for many countries.
At least 437,000 foreign tourists visited in the first seven months of this year, up 25 per cent over the same period last year, including increasing numbers from Europe, the United States and Japan. Visitors from South Korea nearly doubled.
Despite the gains, Mongolia’s government is still short of its goal of a million visitors per year from 2023 to 2025.
Its customised itineraries include horseback trips and camping excursions with the possibility of staying in gers, the felt-covered dwellings still used by Mongolia’s herders.
There’s little chance of running across private property, so few places are off-limits, she said.
“You don’t need to open a gate, you don’t need to have permission from anyone,” she said, sitting in front of a map of Mongolia with routes marked out with pins and strands of yarn.
“We are kind of like the last truly nomad culture on the whole planet,” she added.
Still, many people know little about Mongolia. American tourist Michael John said he knew some of the history about Genghis Khan and had seen a documentary on eagles used by hunters before deciding to stop in Ulaanbaatar as part of a longer holiday.
“It was a great opportunity to learn more,” the 40-year-old said.
Tourism accounted for 7.2 per cent of Mongolia’s gross domestic product and 7.6 per cent of its employment in 2019 before collapsing because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the World Bank. But the organisation noted “substantial growth potential” for Mongolia to exploit, with “diverse nature and stunning sceneries” and sports and adventure tourism possibilities.
Mongolia tourism ads focus on those themes, with beautiful views of frozen lakes in winter for skating and fishing, the Northern Lights and events like reindeer sledding and riding, camel racing and hiking.
Munkhjargal Dayan offers rides on two-humped Bactrian camels, traditional archery and the opportunity to have hunting eagles perch on a visitor’s arm.
The weather is super, the scenery is more than super, it’s clean, the people are friendly
“We want to show tourists coming from other countries that we have such a way of life in Mongolia,” he said, waiting for customers by a giant statue of Genghis Khan on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar.
It is also easy for foreigners to get lost, with few signs in English, said Dutch tourist Jasper Koning. Nevertheless, he said he was thoroughly enjoying his trip.
“The weather is super, the scenery is more than super, it’s clean, the people are friendly,” he said.
