TOURISM IN KYRGYZSTAN - Tourism in Central Asia: Cultural Potential and Challenges - page 271

characteristic that has to be considered in terms of developing the tourism
sector in the country.
THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
In addition to and in close relation with the problems that stem from the
Soviet legacy, certain economic developments of the post-Soviet era also
limit the country's potential for developing its tourism sector. At the time
of independence, Kyrgyzstan was “confronted by highly adverse circum-
stances in which to initiate the transition to a market economy” (The World
Bank, 1993). Its options were quite limited, taking into account the geo-
graphic and economic conditions of the country. Being a tiny, landlocked,
mountainous and isolated country with little resource potential other than
water, gold and natural beauty, the country had to establish as many dip-
lomatic ties with the outside world as possible (Pomfret, 2006; Capisani,
2000). It was hoped that “a rapid adoption of market reforms [and] the
welcoming of foreign investors with open arms … would give the country
a pivotal role in a region wary of reform” (Anderson, 1999). Being one of
the poorest republics of the former Soviet Union with a highly dependent
and specialized economy, independent Kyrgyzstan found no other option
than getting as much international assistance as possible (Özcan, 2010).
As Askar Akaev put in December 1991, the country's future depended on
“the development of private interest, private life, and private property”
(Kort 2004, 159). Therefore, despite the fact that tourism was considered
to be an important sector that would develop the Kyrgyz economy, it was
not the number one priority from the perspective of the governments. Gas
industry, electricity sector, aviation, urban transport, telecommunications,
water management, agriculture, mining and metallurgical sectors occu-
pied the major place when it came to economic policies. At best, tourism
was just one “source of potential growth” (The World Bank, 1993) for the
Kyrgyz economy among many others. 13 When combined with the econom-
ic problems that are analyzed below, such an attitude would be another
obstacle for the development of tourism.
13 For the importance and priority given to other sectors, see The World Bank (1993, 123-148) and The
World Bank (2001).