Number of tourists decreases

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A number of passengers entering Mongolia has reached 951.3 thousand (double counting), which is an increase by 139 thousand people or 17.1 percent against the same period of 2014. Zamyn-Uud port received 36.4 percent of all the incomers, while Altanbulag received 18.3 percent, Buyant-Ukhaa port–16.3 percent, Gashuunsukhait–8.8 percent, Shivee Khuren–5.4 percent. Other checkpoints welcomed 14.8 percent of the incomers. In the first quarter of 2015, a total of 71 thousand passengers entered the country, which is a decrease by 6.3 thousand people or 8.1 percent against the same period of the previous year. Tourists staying for 30 or less days within the border covered 75.7 percent of all incoming foreigners, for up to 90 days made up 3.2 percent, and for 90 days and longer periods–21.1 percent. A majority of the foreigners--53.8 thousand people or 75.8 percent--entered the country with tourism purposes, which is a decrease by 6.7 percent against the same period of 2014. Some 17 thousand, or 24.2 percent, of all foreigners entered the country with working and studying purposes. Compared to the same period of the previous year, a number of tourists from North Korea increased 57 percent, from Ukraine–46.2 percent, from Kazakhstan–24.7 percent, Philippines–18.1 percent, whereas the number of tourists from New Zealand decreased 42.1 percent, from Vietnam 37.5 percent, from India–33.7 percent, and from Singapore–20.6 percent.