Mongolia hosts fair in bid to boost tourism

ULAN BATOR, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's largest Tourism fair opened here Friday to promote Tourism by introducing related products and services designed for visitors and helping local companies find new partners.

More than 300 exhibitors from all 21 provinces of Mongolia and such foreign countries as China, Russia, Japan and Thailand are showcasing products and services in the three-day 2019 International Travel Mart.

"Today, Tourism has become an important sector that has an impact on socio-economic development of any country. I am happy that the number of foreign tourists visiting Mongolia has been steadily increasing in recent years," Mongolian Minister of Environment and Tourism Namsrai Tserenbat said at the opening ceremony.

"The Mongolian government will pay special attention to the development of the Tourism sector. Particularly, we are planning to organize specialist trainings in the Tourism sector free of charge in all 21 provinces of the country," said Tserenbat.

According to the National Statistical Office of Mongolia, minerals and textiles accounted for over 95 percent of the total exports in the first two months of this year. To diversify its mining-dependent economy, Mongolia has been striving to develop Tourism.

The Asian country received 529,370 foreign tourists in 2018, up 11 percent year on year, and earned over 596 million U.S. dollars, up 29.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

The country has set a goal of hosting 1 million foreign tourists and earning 1 billion dollars in 2020.