Kyrgyzstan

Sustainable Winter Tourism Development Project

Winter Tourism Kyrgyzstan (WTK) is a Swiss government funded project with the overarching goal to contribute to increasing decent employment and income opportunities for women and men, and in particular young people, with the perspective of year-round jobs through the development of a sustainable winter tourism value chain. The project’s ambition is to foster high economic value and low social and environmental impacts, focusing on quality services rather than quantity, with certified actors in Karakol destination.

Project Name

Sustainable Winter Tourism Development Project
Project Phase

2021 to 2025
Funding

This project is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
Thematic focus

Private Sector Development

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Quality and safe services

The WTK project aims to help improve the business skills of Karakol MSMEs to provide quality and safe services along the winter tourism value chain. These MSMEs will propose new and safe winter tourism products such as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing or they encourage their customers to visit a local fair and indulge in culinary offers. Many of those products may be offered or linked with activities in all four seasons and they are also accessible for the local population. The increase in competitiveness and diversification is projected to facilitate inclusive and sustainable economic growth and year-round employment.

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Favourable business environment and improved coordination mechanisms

Through the project’s facilitation, key institutional partners will be strengthened to support a favourable business environment and improved coordination mechanisms. This is expected to enhance the framework conditions for MSMEs and foster their inclusion, as well as integrating sustainable practices into year-round activities for the destination and thereby also including the consultation and involvement of local communities.

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Implementing environmental and social practices

MSMEs in Karakol destination embed good environmental and social practices in line with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) minimum standard into their operations. Capacity building facilitated by the WTK project ensures that sustainability is addressed systematically in the destination along the winter tourism value chain and that these practices become the new normal.