BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 22. Over 14 million people visited Kyrgyzstan in 2022, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic Kyyal Kenzhematova told local reporters, Trend reports via Kyrgyz media.
According to the calculation formula of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), about 7.5 million of visitors were tourists.
"About half of them are ecotourists. COVID-19 has forced many people to reconsider their views on life, so they began to plan their travels from a different angle, preferring unity with nature," Kenzhematova said.
She also noted that, since Kyrgyzstan has a vast area of places inhabited by rare animals, as well as places where unique plants grow, the country has a potential for attracting tourists.
According to the data, from January through September 2022, Kyrgyzstan was mostly visited by citizens of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.
As of September 2022, Kyrgyzstan was visited by 3 million tourists from Uzbekistan, more than 1.2 million people from Kazakhstan, and around 500,000 people from Russia.
As the head of Tourism Development Support Fund of Kyrgyzstan, Elena Kalashnikova, noted, the country expects a growth in tourists from Russia in 2023.