Mongolia expects 15,000 foreign tourists during Naadam festival

AKIPRESS.COM - Mongolia is expected to receive at least 15,000 foreign tourists during its national holiday of Naadam this month, Environment and Tourism Minister Namsrai Tserenbat said Wednesday, Xinhua reports.
The Naadam Festival, which is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, is an official holiday celebrated every year from July 11 to 15 across the nomadic country and features horse racing, archery and wrestling.
"The Naadam is one of the main tourism events in Mongolia. At least 15,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit our country during the celebration of this year's Naadam," Tserenbat told a press conference.
The minister noted that his ministry has been working to improve services to cater to foreign tourists.
Mongolia has been striving to develop its tourism sector in a bid to diversify its mining-dependent economy. The East Asian country has set a goal of hosting 1 million foreign tourists and earning 1 billion U.S. dollars from tourism by 2020.
Mongolia attracted around 529,370 foreign tourists in 2018, about 12,000 of them visiting the Naadam festival, according to the tourism ministry.