Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Environment and Tourism N.Tserenbat briefed Irina Kravchenko, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Head of Mongolia, on his priorities and policy directions on November 10.

The meeting was also attended by Svetlana Radchenko, EBRD Senior Banker in charge of infrastructure affairs. Appreciating the EBRD’s investment into entities working in the area of renewable energy, Minister N.Tserenbat inquired into possibilities of directing EBRD investment into development of tourism infrastructure.

“Tourism sector development is based on the opportunities of private sectors in Mongolia. Investment is lesser in tourism sector than major industries like mining,” said the Minister, citing a promise he made upon his appointment which is to attract a million tourists to Mongolia in a short amount of time and increase tourism revenue to USD 1 billion. “If we look at Mongolia’s geographic and other advantages, it is not a dream number,” he said.

The Minister proceeded to introduce his action plan, which will focus on several areas – universalizing service quality in all parts of Mongolia, ensuring transport safety and improving the services offered by hotels and camps and assisting companies working in air transport.

The Minister touched upon the Cabinet’s action plan which comprises major projects and developments targeting tourism sector, expressing his readiness to put all necessary efforts in order to put these plans into action. “Most importantly, tourism sector can’t continue with the current self-financing mode, which is why long-term cooperation with international organizations is ideal,” said the Minister, expressing his hope to strengthen cooperation with the EBRD.

In return, the EBRD Head of Mongolia expressed the bank’s readiness to cooperate with public organizations as it has experience in working with private entities. “There are dozens of opportunities for cooperation,” she said, emphasizing the high environmental standards the Bank sets in all projects.

She also informed that the Bank will be co-implementing an infrastructure project in cooperation with the Mongolian Government. The project team includes a representative from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The EBRD is also working with the Government on infrastructure development in the capital city, which will serve as a contributing factor for attracting more tourists.

“Environment and tourism are inseparable,” remarked Irina Kravchenko, pointing out how air pollution is affecting winter tourism in Mongolia. She suggested that more detailed discussion on projects and investment areas is needed between the sides.

As such, the meeting paved the way for a closer and broader cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the EBRD. Over the years, the EBRD has made an investment worth USD 1.5 billion into Mongolia.

Environment Minister N.Tserenbat has also met country directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank Group (WBG).

Published Date:2017-11-13