OSCE Centre helps Kyrgyzstan to promote tourism

BISHKEK, 10 June 2005 - The OSCE Centre in Bishkek is helping to promote foreign tourism in Kyrgyzstan in the wake of unrest in March by organizing tours of the country for foreign journalists.

A first group of European and American journalists began a visit to the country on Friday, organized by Destination Marketing Association and the Helvetas project in co-operation with the International Business Council, the Kyrgyz Government and the OSCE Centre.

"Kyrgyzstan has remarkable natural sites and tourism can be the locomotive for sustainable economic development," said Asim Acikel, the OSCE Centre's Economic and Environmental Officer. "International marketing can help to counter negative media reports about the region."

The purpose of the tours is to show the real environmental and political situation in the country and the opportunities for foreign tourists.

"Foreign tour operators reacted predictably to the 24-25 March events and some trips for the coming summer season were cancelled," said Ruslan Bakirov, Manager of the Destination Marketing Association.

"Through these tours and the newspaper reports which we hope they will produce, we want to show that there is no safety threat for tourists in Kyrgyzstan. Our country, and the Issyk-Kul Lake area in particular, is ready to receive tourists."

Several groups of journalists from Europe, the United States and CIS countries will visit Kyrgyzstan in June.