ULAN BATOR, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh said Monday that his country is seeking to diversify its tourism sector to promote the growth of its mining-dependent economy.
"Tourism can be a key driver of growth and economic diversification for the country. So, the government is working to develop heritage tourism and other types of tourism," Khurelsukh said at the opening ceremony of a national conference themed "Heritage Tourism-Investment."
The Mongolian government has declared Khentii Province in the east as a heritage tourism destination, Khuvsgul Province in the northwest as a tourist attraction that focuses on nature and the capital city of Ulan Bator as a cultural tourism destination, the prime minister said.
Within the framework of its efforts to develop heritage tourism, the government has recently decided to establish an independent institute for Genghis Khan research in Khentii Province.
Mongolia has set itself the goal of welcoming one million foreign tourists and earning one billion U.S. dollars from tourism in 2020.
The Asian country has attracted a total of 529,370 foreign tourists in 2018, up 11.01 percent from the previous year, according to the country's Environment and Tourism Ministry.
