Choices, choices … the search for a “single voice”
As well as being the Director of a tour company which runs a hotel in Bishkek, I also serve as the Director of a company that runs a guesthouse in the city of Naryn. I remember that, as we approached the city on my first visit to inspect the guesthouse, we arrived at a fork in the road about ten kilometers to go and we were face with a dilemma. There was a road sign showing the two ways ahead: left and right. The dilemma? They both said Naryn. Which one to take?
We knew where we wanted to go, but which road to take?; apparently, they both went there, but which was the right road for us?
At first I wasn’t sure if the sign was a joke. How could it possibly be that both roads lead to the same destination? I soon learned that Naryn is a long, narrow town standing on the banks of the river after which the city is named. So long, in fact, that it is said to have been the longest town in the former Soviet Union. It turns out that the choice made at the fork in the road sent the traveler to different ends of the town; one road to the Western end of the city and the other to the Eastern. So, although both roads would take us to Naryn, one would take us towards our ultimate destination whereas the other would take us further away.
We didn’t know that at the time and so we sat in the vehicle, debating amongst ourselves about which road to take. Some suggested Left whist others suggested Right. In the end we chose the Left … not because anyone won the argument but because it seemed the more “logical” option – working left to right. Fortunately for us, it proved to be the more appropriate choice and we were soon at the guesthouse. If we had gone Right, of course, we would have still arrived but it would have been a longer journey.
In a way, I feel that those of working in Tourism in Kyrgyzstan face a similar dilemma. We all want to move forward and develop the industry, but we are not sure how to achieve this. Unfortunately, the choice is not as simple as it was for us on that visit to Naryn; there are more than just two options to chose between. Far more. The signpost would be far more confusing … all roads leading to the future, but they take different routes not all of which are necessarily the most appropriate for arriving at where we want to be.
So we have decisions to make; which way forward?
Just as in that vehicle a debate takes place. Some we recommend one route forward, others a different one. Whom should we listen to?
We often hear the plea from officials and politicians, “Advise us”. Tell us as experts, people working in the industry, what you think we should do, what steps we need to take for the development of the tourism sector.
We also hear a complaint: “Why can’t you speak with one voice?” There are so many associations, each with their own point of view and offering conflicting suggestions about what should be done. “There are so many voices saying different things that we don’t know who to listen to, which advice to take.”
“Unite!”, we are told, “and tell us what you want us to do with a single voice.”
There are problems with this view. It assumes that there is “a single voice”, and implies that there is a “simple” solution to the problems that face us.
It seems to me that not only is there is not “a single voice”, there cannot be. Tourism is a multi facetted industry. There are many types of tourism represented in Kyrgyzstan. In the now defunct Concept for the Development of Tourism recognized this and identified several such strands: Recreational tourism which has traditionally been represented by those who come to the resorts on the shores Lake Issyk Kul; Adventure tourism represented by the mountaineers drawn to our peaks and the trekkers who revel in our magnificent landscape, the rafters who seek the challenge of our mountain streams and rivers, the horse riders who delight in experiencing the traditional horsemanship of the nomadic Kyrgyz … and many, many more examples; those travelling the Great Silk Road; tourists with an interest in the history and culture of Central Asia, the legacy of nomadic Kyrgyz and the Soviet Union; those who travel to Kyrgyzstan for “business” whether it be for commerce or to attend a conference or seminar, as a volunteer or student attending a course of study.
But this is not all … there are others, such as those who come to Kyrgyzstan to undertake a course of medical treatment; Pilgrims who come to visit Holy sites such as Suleiman Too, or in search of the tomb of Saint Matthew, or even the sacred places associated with Tengrism and Shamanism and hunters who come in search of trophies.
We should not forget that there are also citizens of Kyrgyzstan who are tourists, (technically, someone who spends between one night and six months away from home); who need rest and recreation, who want to visit parts of their homeland or ***
Each of these types of tourism are different “markets”; they have different clients who look for different things in their visit to Kyrgyzstan, different requirements and demands.
Let’s take a simple example: Hotels.
I am a hotelier. I run two hotels, one in Bishkek and the other in Naryn. It would be easy to think that the interests of the two are identical – but they are not.
One is in the heart of the capital city and serves mainly businessmen from abroad. The other is in a mountainous region in the heart of the country and serves mainly travelers from the “Far Abroad” along the Great Silk Road, (making their way to or from China over the Torugart Pass), and domestic tourist, (about half of our guests are citizens of Kyrgyzstan). Most importantly, however, we need Marketing. We need to attract guests, which means that potential guests have to know that we are here and a reason to come to Bishkek.
For our hotels to prosper, they need different things. The one in Bishkek needs a strong and healthy economy, a business friendly environment, city center facilities which are commonly found throughout the globe, (business services, conference facilities, good internet access, entertainment and health facilities). Whereas the success of our hotel in Naryn relies on good relationships with our neighbours along the Great Silk Road, good marketing of the historical and cultural value and importance of the Silk Road, and also a tourist friendly environment, (a visa free regime would be a useful and welcoming signal to our guests and help to facilitate their journey). Most importantly, however, we need Marketing, We need to attract guests; which, in turn, means that guests have to know that we are there and what Naryn has to offer.
Hotels and resorts in Issyk Kul, however, serve mainly visitors from our neighbouring countries, (predominantly Kazakhstan, but also Russia), as well as local citizens. Their success relies heavily on weather conditions, (but there is not much we can do to affect those), good facilities and service. Most importantly, however, they need marketing. They need to attract guests; which, in turn, means that potential guests have to know that they are there and what opportunities for rest and relaxation there are in the region
The families which provide Bed and Breakfast accommodation in a homestay or yurt as part of the Community Based Tourism initiative are often located in villages or a jailoo in the remote parts of the country. They do not aim to provide luxury, but plain and simple accommodation in a traditional family environment. Their guests come from far and wide. In order for them to be successful and help raise additional income and improve the quality of life for the people in these remote regions, they need Marketing. They need to attract guests; which, in turn, means that potential guests need to know that they are there and what they and their regions have to offer.
Marketing is vital to Kyrgyzstan’s tourism industry. Without tourists there is no industry which will mean fewer jobs and less taxes paid to the budget. The dilemma is, what should we market?
Individual hotels are responsible for marketing themselves; distinguishing themselves from their competitors. Marketing the country or the regions, distinguishing them from their competitors around the globe, is something which must be addressed by a different entity – the state. But how should the government market the country. If it listens to the voice of hoteliers, then it is faced with a number of conflicting possible directions, such as: the attractions of Issyk Kul, the legacy of the Great Silk Road or the more remote regions.
In order to decide the best course of action, we need to have an idea of where we want to go. Ask any engineer. The first step in solving any engineering problem is to decide what it is that we want to achieve. Having set our targets the engineer will research the situation and possible solutions. He will seek advice and there may be many competing theories and potential solutions, but he makes a choice of which path to follow. However, the most important thing to note is that there is not a single option, no single voice. What there is … is a choice. A choice of which road to take. We must choose well
Not only do I think that the search for a single voice to represent the tourism industry is futile quest, I consider it to be a dangerous one. It implies a simplistic view that there is a single option, a single opinion. As we have seen, there isn’t one. Adopting one position exclusively, at the expense of the others, can have detrimental effects.
To take the example of marketing the country, I think that we need to market all of the different aspects of the country, but I recognize that the government will have to prioritize and choose where to concentrate its limited resources, but without necessarily ignoring the rest. We saw, for example, the result of relying heavily on one single market, (attracting visitors from Kazakhstan and Siberia to Issyk Kul), when that market collapsed in the aftermath of two revolutions.
If the decision is to develop “mass tourism” based on the resorts of Lake Issyk Kul, and there may be good reasons to do so, (it does, after all, represent the bulk of the tourism industry in the country), then who will tell others, (those working in adventure tourism, conveying people along the Great Silk Road, or the people in the regions), that their government abandons them to their fate?
The fact that there are so many different opinions about what could be done in order to develop tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic is not a bad thing. Far from it. I see it as a strength. It signifies that there is a variety of options available to us.
We should always remember that there are alternatives; perhaps, for example, new markets to explore. If the government decides that the best way forward for the country is to concentrate on developing “mass tourism”, then what of developing other potential markets: China and India? There is little point in marketing the beaches of Issyk Kul in Europe, (they have the choice of many such destinations much more readily available to them), but both of these are within easier reach of these shores, so perhaps we should consider marketing them in these two markets.
It is often said that “We are standing at a crossroads”. That cliché implies that there is a choice to be made. Just as I discovered on my trip to Naryn, it is not always obvious which of the available options represents the best, the most appropriate, to choose. All that is required is to listen to the advice, consider it and, having done so, decide on which course of action to adopt. It may not be an easy decision to make, but it should, at least, be a informed one.
Orinally written for the 2012 edition of the journal “Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Problems, Practice and Perspectives“
Bishkek