The program of the infotour included visits to various attractions in the southern part of the country, as well as participation in a number of specially prepared activities. The first day of the event included a city tour of Osh, which included a climbing of the Sulaiman-Too Mountain, a visit to the Museum of Spiritual Culture and a walk around the main square of the city. In just four days, the participants of the infotour were able to visit many places, learn about the culture and life of the local population, and even take part in various folk games. The main part of the infotour included excursions to such places as: - "Kyrgyz-Ata" Nature Park, located at an altitude of over 2,300 meters above sea level and famous for its juniper forests and many mountain rivers with crystal clear meltwater. - The creative center of ceramics "Golden Valley", where the participants had a master class on ceramics, as well as wine tasting to the melodious Kyrgyz songs accompanied by komuz. - The stone desert of the Tuya-Muyun Range, where the landscape changes neither in summer nor in winter. - “Dul-Dul At” pilgrimage center, which is one of the sanctuaries of the Davani era dedicated to the cult of the horse. Today the area is a center of pilgrimage for Muslims in the Fergana Valley and may be of interest as one of the objects of ziyarat (pilgrimage) tours. - Yurt camp at Sary-Oy pasture, which is located in the reserve of the same name in the spurs of the Alai range. - Zhosholu area, located on the bank of the river Ayuu Tapan, where two world mountain systems: Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alai converge. - Sary-Tash area, passing along the famous Pamir highway, where the participants spent night at the highest-lying hotel in Kyrgyzstan (3,500 m above sea level) ‘Alpen Dome Hotel Pamir Alay’. - Tulparkol area. This is a network of lakes, which is located in the spurs of the Chon-Alai Range at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. There are several yurt camps in the valley, which are of great interest to foreign tourists. National games, festivals, folk shows, and yak shows are organized in the camps. Several horse trails start from this place. Lenin Peak (7134m) can be seen from the territory of Tulparkol and one can reach it during the walk just in 2 hours. - Uzgen Historical and Architectural Complex of Karakhanid Era, as well as the complex of Imam Serahsi - a famous jurist of Turkic-Islamic world of the 11th century during the rule of Karakhanids, who was also engaged in mathematics, logic, philosophy and poetry. - The Arslanbob National Reserve, famous for its fruit and nut forests. - Great and Small Arslanbob Falls - Horseback riding tour of the Sary-Chelek reserve, where participants of the infotour were able to visit 6 lakes, including the pearl of the reserve - Lake Sary-Chelek. The main aim of the information tour was to familiarize the leading tour operators in Uzbekistan with ethno-cultural tourism potential of Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, and to provide information on changes and improvements in the tourism infrastructure of the region and new tourist products to meet the needs of tourists. In addition, a number of business meetings between local stakeholders and tour operators of Uzbekistan were organized as part of the event. These meetings will help participants to establish new cooperation contacts and develop new joint tourism products. So as a result of these meetings the beneficiaries of the Swiss Bai Alai Programme have signed a number of agreements with tour operators of Uzbekistan, and just a few days after the infotour the first orders and requests for tour bookings were received from them. Thus, "CBT Alay", "CBT Sary Mogol" and "Rayan Resort" organizations are already negotiating to supply their services to tourists from Uzbekistan in mid-July this year. The Bai Alai programme is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and is implemented by Helvetas Kyrgyzstan together with the Aga Khan Foundation.
At the beginning of 2021 GREENTOUR project and Tazar App waste collection and sorting team signed a cooperation agreement aimed at stimulating the implementation of SCP practices among tourist enterprises. In just six months of collaboration, the Tazar App was fully translated into the Kyrgyz language, in addition, a system of news and event notifications and a news feed were introduced. It is also worth noting that the Tazar App team took an active part in a number of events organized as part of the project, which in turn contributed to the promotion of the application among the subjects of the tourism sector. With the beginning of the summer season and active trips of citizens to nature parks and mountains, we all see a huge amount of litter left by holidaymakers. Significant help in the fight against pollution and the implementation of conscious consumption is provided by private initiatives, among them Tazar, a team that has proven itself a reliable partner. The Tazar App is an initiative aimed at reducing the ecological footprint. Tazar aims to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills by systematizing recycling drop-offs in Kyrgyzstan. Using the app, you can find recyclables collection points on a map and arrange for removal through the app. For each kilogram of recyclable waste, the app user is awarded points, which can be exchanged for various bonuses, such as cultural entertainment - tickets to museums, exhibitions, as well as books, a day trip to the mountains, zero-waste workshop, accommodation in guest houses and much more. The app is available for download on Android and iOS and is completely free. In its turn the Greentour project encourages all citizens to consume consciously and adopt responsible travel habits when traveling and travelling. The GREENTOUR project is funded by the European Union’s SWITCH-Asia program and implemented by Helvetas Intercooperation GGMBH together with the European Center for Eco and Agrotourism Stichting Netherlands (ECEAT), the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators (KATO) and the Kyrgyz Community-Based Tourism Association (KCBT).
An information tour for tour operators from the Republic of Uzbekistan will be held in Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts of Kyrgyzstan on June 7-11. In the framework of the information tour, participants will get acquainted with ethno-cultural tourism potential of Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, and learn about changes and improvements in the region's tourism infrastructure and new tourist products aimed at meeting tourists' demands. In addition, a number of business meetings between local stakeholders and tour operators of Uzbekistan will be organized during the event. These meetings will help participants establish new cooperation contacts and develop new joint tourism products. The program includes visits to museums, pilgrimage and art centers, yurt and mountaineering camps, as well as lakes, waterfalls and nature parks. The information tour will be organized by the Swiss “Bai Alai” program implemented by Helvetas Kyrgyzstan and the Aga Khan Foundation, as well as the GIZ program "Green Economy and Sustainable Private Sector Development", IRDP and Destination Osh PF.
Assignment Title: Development of the video clip on achievements of Bai Alai programme Location(s): Bishkek, Osh, Alai, Chon Alai districts; Assignment periods: 16 June - 30 July, 2021 Task: - Develop 30 seconds long video clip with subtitles in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages according to the provided sript (Script can be received by sending a request to beermat.rayimbekova@helvetas.org) and data on achievements of the programme - Organize a field trip to the project region for shooting necessary and missing photo/video materials - Use creative infographics and animations to convey information and data on achievements of the programme - Integrate logos and disclaimers of implementing organizations and the donor agency at the end of the video clip - Finalize all work and the video clip and submit no later than July 15, 2021. Requirements to potential supplier: - Experience of implementing similar projects i.e. must have specialists on infographics and animation making in the team - Readiness to perform tasks in indicated timeframe List of necessary documents for submission: · Certificate of registration of a legal entity · Resume of main implementers who has experienced in implementing similar tasks and portfolio (links to videos developed previously) · Implementation plan and detailed budget Application procedure: Interested parties are to send above stated documents to the following address no later than 15.00 June 15, 2021: Erkin.Abakirov@helvetas.org and Imanaly.Turkbaev@helvetas.org
On April 11, 2021, elections to 420 local councils from 452 municipalities were held across the country. To help increase the participation of women in local councils, the Swiss project "Public Service Improvement" organized a Leadership School for 65 women candidates from 24 target municipalities of Issyk-Kul and Jalal-Abad regions. The purpose of the Leadership School for Women Candidates to Local Councils was to provide women not only with theoretical knowledge, but also with practical advice throughout the entire electoral process. The program of the School of Leadership included three days of intensive trainings, which included thematic sessions on the amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Elections of Local Council Deputies," the functions and responsibilities of local deputies, in addition, the participants learned about leadership and effective communication skills, as well as the procedures for registration to participate in elections and preparation of individual pre-election information campaigns with relevant political programs. The Leadership School also launched a month-long mentoring program, which included practical advice through phone calls and various social media and communication platforms. Thanks to the Leadership School, 56 participants decided to participate in the elections to local councils and registered with the relevant territorial election commissions (TECs). Of these, 34 participants were elected deputies of local councils. Since municipalities for the first time applied the change in the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Elections of Deputies of Local Councils" and the norm to reserve at least 30% of mandates for women in local councils, all participants noted the importance and timeliness of this event. They emphasized the fact that they were successful due to the knowledge and guidance provided by the trainers and did not resort to such measures that went beyond the legality of the election campaign. According to them, they were able to gain the trust of the population through competent campaigning, correctly presenting their election programs to their voters. Gulzat Chotoyeva described her experience as follows: "The school gave me great support in the election process. I felt constant support from the trainers and got answers to all my questions. I managed to organize my election campaign very well. I did everything according to the requirements of the law, as I was taught in our trainings. I was able to win fairly, without taking bribes or bribing voters, and this is my main success. Gulnara Bostonova: "In my election campaign, I used the knowledge I received during the consultations. I raised vital issues of the village and demonstrated ways to solve these problems depending on the competence of the local council and local authorities. I held meetings with voters in each village and tried to be a good example for other candidates and members of the local community to achieve good results without breaking the law and without bribing voters. Unfortunately, a number of women with promising plans failed to get enough votes. Despite their defeat, these young women thanked the Project for the knowledge and experience they gained, which will be of use to them in the future. Zarema Urdolotova: "I did not win at the elections, but I became a real leader thanks to the School of Leadership for Women. It was a very useful experience in terms of interacting with the local community, listening to people's voices and being able to show myself, my knowledge and abilities as a true leader. At the moment I am involved in different events and local initiatives. Thanks to my active work, I hope that in 4 years I will be ready to take part in the next local elections". Leadership School for Women Candidates to Local Councils was organized in the framework of the Public Service Improvement Project, funded by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by Helvetas and Development Policy Institute.
On May 15, 2021, the International Tourism Fair (Issyk-Kul ITF) 'I AM NOMAD' was held on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul with the financial support of the Helvetas Association and other international donors. More than 100 local and foreign companies, associations and international projects presented their activities and products at the Cultural Center Ruh Ordo in Cholpon-Ata. The Helvetas Association was represented at the exhibition by the Swiss projects Bai Alai and Sustainable Winter Tourism, as well as the Greentour: Sustainable Tourism in Kyrgyzstan project, funded by the EU's SwitchAsia program. In addition, Helvetas' regular partners "Business Women of Alai Association" as well as public associations "Destination Karakol" and "Destination Osh" took an active part in the event. It is also worth noting our partners the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators (KATO) and the Kyrgyz Community-Based Tourism Association (KCBTA), which, along with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic represented by the authorized representative office of the KR Government in Issyk-Kul region and the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the KR, as well as the Association of Resorts of Kyrgyzstan (AKK) were the organizers of the exhibition (Issyk-Kul ITF) 'I AM NOMAD'. Despite the rainy weather the event was attended by over 2,000 people, which is undoubtedly a success. Each guest of the exhibition had the opportunity not only to participate in the exhibition, but also to enjoy the concert program and attend the Tourism Forum "Kyrgyzstan - Land of Tourism" and the award ceremony for the best participants and partners in the tourism market of Kyrgyzstan. The event was opened by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Japarov Sadyr Nurguzhoevich, who noted that the active development of tourism as a real sector of the economy requires regular activities aimed at promoting Kyrgyzstan's tourism products in the international tourism market. "I am sure that the tourism fair will become a good platform for close cooperation of tourism business of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries. One of the priorities of the country's development should be the tourism industry. Our domestic tourism industry needs to create conditions that meet international service standards and improve the image of Kyrgyzstan on the world stage. At the same time, we should be careful with the nature of our country and remember the authenticity of our historical and cultural values. The main goal of the state is to create favorable conditions for businesses and organizations of the tourism industry. The goal is to create a modern legislative framework that will ensure the development of activities in this area to make our country, rich in natural beauty, attractive to tourists", - said Sadyr Japarov. The main purpose of the exhibition, which is held annually since 2016, is to establish business ties between tourist organizations, promotion and propaganda of local attractions, tourist products, to familiarize citizens with the services of ethno-eco tourism. This year the main theme of the exhibition was the promotion and development of ecological and ethnographic tourism.
