PREMIER ATTENDS NAT'L FORUM ON TOURISM

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia /MONTSAME/ The Prime Minister S.Batbold has stressed that many problems, which arise along with the tourism development, must be solved. He said it at a national forum themed "Tourism - 21st century" that ran March 23 in the Government House. S.Batbold emphasized a requirement to alter the law on tourism, and obliged related Minister to work out and approve a national program. He said it is time for ministries, administrations of the city and aimags to be spearheading the initiatives on domestic tourism. "At the same time, a great attention must be paid to preventing transnational crimes such as money laundering, illegal trade of drugs, infectious diseases," he said. The PM criticized insufficient works in protecting and restoring the cultural heritage, creating and propagandizing tourism services. "The public's attention must be drawn to protecting the natural and cultural heritage, erecting biggest museums and cultural palace at national parks or on spots of archeological findings, and such works and proposals and initiatives, made by the national forum, will receive the Premier's support," he said. According to reports delivered at the forum, a number of tourists to Asia-Pacific countries increased by 11 million, reaching 216 million in 2011, whereas the number of tourists to Mongolia increased 11 per cent in the last three years, and the income from the tourism went on by 32.5 per cent. In 2011 alone, the income from tourism reached some USD 280 million, making up approximately five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. B.Khuder