Are domestic tourism data accurate?

Home tourism peaks amid festivities. This yr, the variety of individuals touring outdoors town, particularly to the awe-inspiring pure wonders of the nation, has elevated dramatically. Nevertheless, it isn’t identified precisely how many individuals journey domestically in the course of the peak tourism season, the place they go, how a lot harm they trigger to the atmosphere, or how a lot cash they spend and flow into available in the market. Not one of the related organizations have full data or analysis on home tourism.

The Ministry of Setting and Tourism, which determines the insurance policies of the sector, estimated that 500,000 to 670,000 individuals traveled domestically throughout this yr’s Naadam. The ministry additionally reported that the variety of international vacationers was about 23,000 though the detailed figures are but to be launched. Based mostly on this data, the variety of home vacationers was roughly 30 occasions larger than international vacationers. In different phrases, greater than 90 p.c of this market is made up of home vacationers. However we should not have a coverage geared toward home tourism. Worldwide examples present that insurance policies are developed primarily based on the detailed dedication of how a lot funding home tourism can carry to native areas and the way a lot cash every traveler spends.

The Highway and Transport Improvement Middle counted the variety of automobiles that left the capital from July 9 to 17. Based on the data launched by the middle, 117,710 automobiles handed via 4 checkpoints of Ulaanbaatar in the course of the vacation. Based mostly on the entire quantity of automobiles that went from the capital to rural areas and assuming that there have been roughly 4 individuals in every automotive, it may be calculated that about 500,000 individuals went to the countryside. This appears to be the idea of the quantity reported by the Ministry of Setting and Tourism. 

Nevertheless, it’s uncertain whether or not this determine is real looking. As a result of everybody who leaves the capital could not have had the intention to journey. Some could also be native individuals coming back from a short lived enterprise journey to town.

However, not solely residents of Ulaanbaatar journey. Residents of different provinces can also journey to different locations. Touring doesn’t simply imply going from town to the countryside. Specifically, tourism trade researchers say that the individuals of Gobi areas, corresponding to Govi-Altai and Dundgovi provinces, go to rivers and watery locations in summer time, particularly giant lakes corresponding to Khuvsgul, Buir and Uvs. Due to this fact, the precise variety of home vacationers could differ considerably from the official knowledge launched by the ministry.

In 2015, Khuvsgul Province was linked with Ulaanbaatar by a paved highway. At the moment, there was an “explosion” in home tourism and since then, 1000’s of individuals have been visiting the Khuvsgul Lake yearly. Sadly, though seven years have handed since then, our nation nonetheless can’t get an correct estimation of the variety of home vacationers heading to such a significant tourism hotspot. Along with Khuvsgul, the variety of vacationers going to lakes corresponding to Buir, Ulaagchiin Khar and Terkhiin Tsagaan is rising yearly. Additionally it is unclear when and the way many individuals go to these locations.

Solely the safety administration of the Khuvsgul Lake Nature Park, which is the most important vacationer attraction within the nation that’s visited by comparatively giant numbers of individuals each summer time, is making an attempt to depend, register and monitor the variety of vacationers they obtain. Final June, for occasion, 94,355 home vacationers and eight,000 international vacationers, or over 102,000 individuals and over 18,000 automobiles, entered the park, in keeping with the safety administration. In an effort to make the registration extra correct, home residents are charged to pay a charge of 300 MNT and international vacationers a charge of three,000 MNT to enter the strictly protected space. Since July 1, it has been doable to pay the doorway charge to the native administration utilizing a QR code, making it simpler for contemporary vacationers who hardly carry round money.

That is thought-about a great instance, however individuals who traveled to Khuvsgul Province reported that “the checkpoint of the realm doesn’t work at night time”. In different phrases, solely individuals who entered in the course of the day had been registered and those that visited at night time weren’t included within the complete variety of vacationers.

Greater than two years have handed since Mongolia declared to grow to be an “e-nation”, with objectives and instructions mentioned in any respect ranges, beginning with the federal government and native governments. Therefore, it shouldn’t be troublesome to register or depend home vacationers now. In Mongolia, nearly everybody carries a cellphone. Based on the Ministry of Digital Improvement and Communications, the variety of cellphones in our nation has exceeded the inhabitants and reached 4.3 million. About 3.4 million of them have smartphones. So, the variety of home vacationers could be recorded via each cellular telephones and checkpoints. It’s going to additionally permit authorities to search out out the place they go for trip and journey. It’s unusual why people who find themselves speaking about reworking into an “e-nation” will not be making use of such sources and alternatives.

On prime of that, the Ministry of Setting and Tourism doesn’t take important measures associated to the rise within the variety of home vacationers. It knowledgeable, “Work is being carried out to create 20 lodging at vacationer locations yearly. As of 2021, 23 campsites have been created nationwide. This yr, we’re working to construct 17 extra locations with native participation.”

In actuality, the locals are solely accountable for placing up data or warning indicators on the primary journey routes and cleansing up rubbish. Whereas the variety of vacationers elevated by 1000’s, the federal government didn’t do any important work apart from constructing a couple of campsites. Mainly, it implies that the work tempo of the Ministry of Setting and Tourism shouldn’t be maintaining with the rising variety of home vacationers. As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, tourism had been virtually stagnant up to now two years. Throughout this era, the ministry and related organizations might have solved and sorted out most of the issues within the tourism sector. Nevertheless, regardless of not with the ability to resolve underlying issues, the ministry mentioned that “Mongolia will obtain 400 million vacationers” and was closely mocked by individuals.

Lately, there have been an growing variety of studies about lovely landscapes of Mongolia being destroyed as a result of lack of planning, analysis and coverage. Throughout the Naadam vacation, there was nearly no area to step on the shore of Khuvsgul Lake. Individuals who went to lakes corresponding to Terkhiin Tsagaan and Ulaagchiin Khar are complaining about how crowded the venue was and the way individuals had been throwing rubbish in all places.

As well as, residents wrote on their social media accounts that individuals who visited Buir Lake had been selecting and cooking oysters, which are thought-about endangered and listed within the Pink E-book of Mongolia. Additionally, as a result of lack of management, some individuals swim in freshwater lakes and pollute them by washing their garments.

Furthermore, the Gorkhi Terelj Nationwide Park is commonly lined with the rubbish left by vacationers. Between July 10 and 18, particularly, 198 tons of rubbish had been cleared in 65 shipments and volunteers needed to be concerned in cleansing up the rubbish, in keeping with the Gorkhi Terelj Nationwide Park Safety Administration.

It may be mentioned that such confusion is linked to policymakers. The truth that there are no figures or surveys on home vacationers so far is a motive guilty them. If the numbers had been realistically calculated yearly, it might be simpler to guage the wants of vacationers and implement the precise insurance policies. Furthermore, bathrooms and different companies for vacationers could be constructed and made primarily based on these figures. Specialists say that this may even assist create new tourism “merchandise”, increase the market, improve competitors and decrease costs.