A British Investment
I was asked to write a short “PR piece” about the company for a newsletter … and I wasn’t sure what to write. I wanted to do something a little different and instead of simply writing about the company, I wanted it to be something which highlighted the attractions of Kyrgyzstan as well as something particular about the company.
It’s not difficult to write something about the attractions of Kyrgyzstan … but I knew that I was going to hampered by the word limit being imposed on me. It would have been easy to write something dry and formal like:
The Celestial Mountains Tour Company was formed in 1997 by three British investors, …
Although this is typical of the approach towards such articles here, somehow it didn’t seem quite right … and, anyway, I have written that sort of thing so many times in the past that I am getting tired of it, myself. It still had to be said – after all it was supposed to be a “PR piece” about the company … but I wanted to find a more interesting way of saying it – and, going beyond that, something about the attractions the country has to offer.
I sat down and thought about it. “Mulled it over” in my mind. I got up and walked around … how could I put it? Then I remembered the number of times I have been asked questions like How did an Englishman get to be running a tour company in Kyrgyzstan?”, and – more directly - “Why, on earth, Kyrgyzstan?” It’s easy to answer this second question … just fire back a “Why not?” But, seriously it’s a good question. Why Kyrgyzstan?
The more my mind worked on it, the more I thought that this might be the answer …
In the end, this is what I wrote:
It is difficult to tell what was the deciding factor when three British investors decided to open a tour company, a hotel and a small guesthouse in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1997.
Was it the Mountains? This is one of the country’s main attractions, to be sure. With three peaks at over 7000m, and the majority of the landscape classified as mountainous areas, Kyrgyzstan offers a big contrast to the small island nation which protrudes out into the Northern Atlantic.
Could it the abundance of wildlife, fauna and flora, the range of which includes a number of rare and endangered species? After all, the English are well known for their love of animals.
Perhaps it was the people with their nomadic traditions, handicrafts and hospitable nature.
Or maybe it was the links with the past, with historical characters like Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, and Babur, or the connections with the extensive network of trading routes known as the Great Silk Road, which pass through the territory of the small Central Asian Republic.
Whatever the reason, (and it may have been a combination of all of these), they saw the great potential that the country has to offer to travellers of all sorts: The young student, backpacking, trekking, perhaps following in the footsteps of the like of Marco Polo; the active tourist seeking adventure – whether it be mountaineering, trekking, horseriding, white water rafting, skiing and so forth; or just relaxing on the shores of the world’s second largest mountain lake – Lake Issyk Kul; or catering for travellers along the Great Silk Road.
The tour company caters mainly, but not exclusively, for Western tourists – after all it was established by Englishmen. Most of the business is based on customizing itineraries to individual requests – based on exploring the many attractions and possibilities that this small country can offer. The services offered include: arranging transport, accommodation, guide/interpreter services, meals, concerts and other cultural activities, assistance with formalities and providing advice and information.
A small guesthouse in Naryn was opened in 1998, (on the way to China on the Great Silk Road, halfway between Bishkek and Kashgar), with the aim was of providing a friendly, clean and comfortable environment for travellers and has established itself as a favourite with tourists and businessmen alike.
It was followed in 2000 by the Silk Road Lodge, a small, purpose built, hotel in central Bishkek which has become the preferred choice of many travellers visiting the capital city.
The company has firmly established itself in the tourism sector in the Republic – working in cooperation with other companies and service providers, and taking a leading role in a number of associations, (such as the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators, Kyrgyz Travel – the Destination Marketing Association and the International Business Council).
I think it turned out quite well … it’s still a bit dry – but that was part of the brief … I hope it made Kyrgyzstan sound like an interesting place and gave a feel of some of the myriad of attractions that the country and it’s people have to offer.
Bishkek