Chairman of the IBC Tourism Committee Stiphan Beher took part in a meeting of Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai who visited Kyrgyzstan for the first time on June 6 - 7. Stiphan Beher is a member of the Working Group on Tourism Strategy at the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Taleb Rifai met with Kyrgyzstan’s top officials and representatives of tourism association to discuss variety of issues, including Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the UNWTO and its grant programs. Kyrgyzstan joined the UNWTO in 1993.

According to Stiphan Beher, UNWTO Secretary-General addressed four points which he deemed imperative for the growth of tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic. They are visa regime/air links; infrastructural development; the seasonality of destinations; and promotion of the country (ie, building brand “Kyrgyzstan”). It was advised that these points have been in fact addressed as part of the strategy presented to the Prime Minister, Beher said.

“But what needs to be addressed is the need for a stronger voice for tourism in the shape of having a stand-alone Tourism Ministry with an appropriate operating budget. The current 7 million som budget is insufficient,” Stiphan Beher believes. To that Mr. Rafia advised that WTO member states allocate an average 1% of tourism revenues, which in Kyrgyzstan is over $400 million per annum, equating to a Tourism Department budget of $4 million.

On June 7 Taleb Rifai attended the third meeting of Tourism Ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States held in Cholpon-Ata city, recreation center of the Issyk-Kul province.