VOA新闻杂志2024--Mongolia Aims to Gain More Foreign Visitors

Mongolia Aims to Gain More Foreign Visitors

Mongolia, with its beautiful land and open spaces, is hoping to get more foreign visitors.

Like most countries, Mongolia's tourism industry was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has launched a "Welcome to MonGOlia" campaign to gain more visitors. The government has added flights and simplified the visa process, offering visa-free visits for many countries.

At least 437,000 foreign visitors came in the first seven months of this year, up 25 percent over the same period last year.

That total includes increasing numbers from Europe, the United States and Japan. Visitors from South Korea nearly doubled, thanks in part to the fact that the flight between the countries is under four hours.

However, Mongolia's government is still short of its goal of 1 million visitors per year from 2023-2025.

The country has a population of 3.3 million people. About half of them live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. As a result, there is plenty of open space for adventure tourists to explore, said Egjimaa Battsooj, who works for a tour company.

The company offers adventures including horseback trips and camping trips with the possibility of staying in gers, the traditional homes still used by Mongolia's herders.

There is little chance of running across private property, so few places are off-limits, she said.

"You don't need to open a gate, you don't need to have permission from anyone," Battsooj said, sitting in front of a map of Mongolia.

"We are kind of like the last truly nomad¹ culture on the whole planet," she added.

Lonely Planet, a travel guide publisher, named Mongolia its top destination in its Best in Travel 2024 report. The pope's visit to Mongolia last year also helped bring attention to the country.

Its breakdancers became stars at last year's Asian Games. And some local bands have developed a global following, like The Hu, a band that mixes traditional Mongolian instruments and throat singing with modern rock.

Most people know little about Mongolia. American tourist Michael John said he knew some of the history about Genghis Khan. He had also seen a documentary on eagles used by hunters before deciding to stop in Ulaanbaatar as part of a longer vacation.

"It was a great opportunity to learn more," the 40-year-old said.

Tourism represented 7.2 percent of Mongolia's gross domestic product and 7.6 percent of its employment in 2019 before the industry collapsed² because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank says. But the organization noted³ chances for "substantial growth" for Mongolia, with "diverse nature and stunning⁴ sceneries" and sports and adventure tourism possibilities.

Mongolia tourism advertisements bring attention to all of those interests. The ads show beautiful frozen lakes in winter, the Northern Lights and events like reindeer⁵ sledding and riding, camel racing⁶, and hiking.

Munkhjargal Dayan offers rides on camels, traditional archery and the opportunity to have eagles trained for hunting stand on a visitor's arm.

"We want to show tourists coming from other countries that we have such a way of life in Mongolia," he said, waiting for tourists by a big statue of Genghis Kahn on the outskirts⁷ of Ulaanbaatar.

Outside the lively capital, getting around can be difficult in summer as the land becomes wet. There are limited roads and buildings, a shortage of places to stay, and a lack of skilled labor⁸ in some areas.

It is also easy for foreigners to get lost, with few signs in English, said Dutch tourist Jasper Koning. Nevertheless, he said he was thoroughly⁹ enjoying his trip.

"The weather is super, the scenery is more than super, it's clean, the people are friendly," he said.

Words in This Story

tourism - n. the practice of traveling for fun

adventure -n. an experience that is exciting

tourist - n. a person who travels for fun

horseback - adj. on the back of a horse

nomad - n. a member of a people who move from place to place usually seasonally¹⁰

breakdancer - n. a person who breakdances (performs a kind of hip-hop dance)

gross domestic product (GDP) -n. a measure of the size of a country's economy equal to the value of all the goods and services produced in one year

substantial - adj. considerable in quantity, important

stunning - adj. impressive especially in beauty or excellence¹¹

scenery - n. a beautiful view or landscape

1 nomad   

n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民

参考例句：

• He was indeed a nomad of no nationality.他的确是个无国籍的游民。
• The nomad life is rough and hazardous.游牧生活艰苦又危险。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

5 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

11 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。