Postcard from Bishkek

As the days to draw in and the nights get longer, (at least, in the northern hemisphere), people often turn their minds to thinking about their next holiday.

For those living in the UK, tomorrow sees the start of the World Travel Market exhibition and trade fair, (WTM), at the Excel exhibition center in London – one of the biggest such events of the year.  For four days representatives of the travel industry will tout their wares and seek to make contact with others and also with members of the public.

 

WTM has been a major showcase for the travel industry over the last three decades.  The first exhibition opened in 1980, then at Olympia, with over 20o exhibitors from about 40 countries and over 9000 visitors.   It has grown somewhat over the last 34 years … moving from Olympia to Earls Court and now to Excel … with about 5000 exhibitors from almost 190 countries and an expected 50,000 visitors.

The large halls are organized into regions with stands representing countries, regions, cities and even individual firms.  There are also stands for publishers and airlines, hotels, technology and education and training, as well as themes like responsible tourism, and culture and heritage.

Most are bright and colourful and several will have animations of some kind, (music or dancing), and maybe some cuisine to sample.

There is a programme of special events: such as seminars and presentations.

It’s really designed as a “trade show” – for professionals working in the industry, but members of the public can also buy a ticket and attend.

 

Kyrgyzstan has a small stand and there will be a number of special events organized by the tour operators and the embassy.

One of those is a presentation being made on 7th November (from 6:  pm to 7:00pm) at the offices of British Expertise, (10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH) …

For the record: British Expertise is an organisation which brings together British companies that offer professional services on the international scene.  They organize events which offer networking opportunities, introducing members to key contacts – potential partners and clients, both British and international – to each other. They also offer market intelligence and training and lobby the British Government, the international financing institutions and others on various issues.

The next day will see the Book Launch of 100 Experiences of Kyrgyzstan at 4:00pm at the Yunus Emre Cultural Center at 10 Maple Street, London W1T 5HA.  This event is part of the Open Central Asia Book Forum with a presentation of Kyrgyzstan and its tourism resources by KATO and Nick Rowan giving an talk about his recent book “Friendly Steppes: Silk Road journey”.  (Goth books are published by Hertfordshire Press).

For the record: The Yunus Emre Institute is involved in educational activities and scientific research in order to promote Turkish Culture and Language abroad.  Named after the famous Turkish poet Yunus Emre, (who lived around 13th and 14th centuries and was one of the first known Turkish poets to have composed works in the spoken Turkish of his own age and region rather than Persian or Arabic).    The Institute establishes Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers in different countries throughout the world – including one in London.

We at Celestial Mountains have an interest in both events: one of our investors will participate in the first and I am responsible for the text describing the “100 experiences”.

 

One of the problems of such an event, it seems to me, is that it shows exactly what a wide variety of choice of destination there is before the traveler … they literally have the world at their feet …

… and … I am quite sure that there are very good reasons why they should choose each and every one of those destinations for their next vacation … including Kyrgyzstan.

However … and isn’t there always a “however” …  it is not always so obvious.  Part of the problem at WTN is that the Kyrgyz stand is a small one and is easily lost among the  many others – some of them quite large so that it is easy overlooked.

I often say that it’s a bit like Tash Rabat – the ancient Silk Road caravanserai near the Chinese border.  It’s small, not well known, remote and hidden away “off the main road”.  If you don’t know it is there, it is so easy to pass by and miss it altogether …

… but … if you do happen to come across it then you are rewarded with a beautiful and special experience, (I am tempted to say “mystical”), an encounter with a kaleidoscope of nature, history, culture, wildlife, beauty, mystery, …  you name it – it’s got it .. well, almost … Kyrgyzstan being a landlocked country, there’s no “sand, sun and sea” – but that can be found elsewhere on the country … well, “lake”, that is … not “sea” … but it is a salt water lake.

 

In fact, that’s another thing … it’s not as if Kyrgyzstan has a USP (a unique selling point) … but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot to see and do in the country.  In fact, that’s part of the reason that I agreed to participate in the the 100 Experiences project.  Indeed, as I see it, we are embarrassed by the richness of experiences the Kyrgyzstan has to offer … The publisher came up with the number 100 but my initial list of potential topics was far greater and it meant having to prune that list down … as well as pruning the descriptions down to his propose limit of just 150 words each.

Certain things had to be included … they are so iconic, such as: Son Kul, Issyk Kul and Sary Chelek; the Burana Tower and Tash Rabat; Balbals, Petroglyphs and Saimaluu Tash and Suleiman Too; Peaks Pobeda and Khan Tengi;  the Kalpak and Lenin; Edelweiss and the Aigul Flower … and so on … and so on.  But there’s a lot more that’s missing … Bus Stops, and Burial mounds, Tulips and Apples, Shamsy and Ala Kol Lake; A night at the opera and All that Jazz; Kyrgyz Rap and Mountain Biking; Tois, Weddings and Cemeteries … and so on … and so on.

As one recent blog post put it … in Kyrgyzstan, there’s “a wonder around every corner“.

To be fair, the publisher wants to produce a series of the books, one each for all of the Central Asian countries – and, of course, I’m hoping there will be a second volume dedicated to some of the things that are less well known – even if someone else is asked to write it.  After all, as the current slogan for Kyrgyzstan puts it … there’s so much to discover!

 

 

Tags: Tourism