DUSHANBE, November 15, Asia-Plus — Over the first nine months of this year, public purse has received more than 1.2 million somonis (equivalent to $368,658) from tourism, which is 1.6 times more than last year, when the budget received 789,823 somonis (equivalent to $229,100) from tourism sector, Asia-Plus has learned from Bakhtiyor Hamdamov, the deputy head of the Committee for Youth’s Affairs, Sports and Tourism.
According to him, Tajik tourist companies have provided more than 16.88 million somonis’ (equivalent to $4.89719 million) worth of services over the report period, which is nearly 2.6 times more than in 2006.
259,484 foreign tourists, mostly citizens of the CIS states (119,931 people), have visited Tajikistan over the same nine-month period. As far as tourists from the far abroad countries are concerned, the number of tourists from these countries visiting Tajikistan has increased nearly 2.3 times to 67,553.
Over the report period, 15,600 Tajiks have visited foreign countries over the report period.
“At present we are working on improvement of a system of registration of tourists visiting our country, which is of significant importance for carrying out detailed monitoring and advertising the country and tourist products,” the deputy head said.
He added that according to tourist company register handed over to the Committee by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, 120 tourist companies have to date been registered in Tajikistan. “However, not all of them are in operation now,” said Hamdamov, Thus two tourist companies recently suspended their activities.” Actually, only 50 tourist companies have submitted reports on their activities to the Committee, according to him.
