ABSTRACT
Introduction ........................................................................................... 260 Opportunities of Kyrgyzstan for Developing its Tourism Sector .................................................................................................... 262 Obstacles of Kyrgyzstan for Developing its Tourism Sector ................ 268 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 280 Keywords .............................................................................................. 282 References ............................................................................................. 282
INTRODUCTION
This chapter basically aims to describe the opportunities and obstacles within the tourism sector in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, within the framework of the basic economic and political challenges that the country faces in the independence era. The first part of the chapter is a brief introduction of Kyrgyzstan from geographical, economic and social perspectives, all of which either directly or indirectly affect the tourism sector in the country in the post-Soviet era. The second and third parts describe the opportunities and obstacles to the development of tourism in Kyrgyzstan, respectively. The conclusion focuses on the comparative advantage of the country for the development of tourism despite all odds, and briefly comments on the possible bright future of this sector.
