Kyrgyzstan Eyes 12 Million Tourists in 2026, EU Airspace Removal Boosts Outlook

Kyrgyzstan is projecting a significant influx of tourists, aiming to host close to 12 million visitors in 2026. This ambitious target follows a successful 2025, during which the nation welcomed approximately 10 million tourists, generating over $1 billion in revenue for the tourism sector.

Eduard Kubatov, President of the State Agency for Tourism Development, attributed this positive dynamic to the agency's efforts. He highlighted that the tourism sector currently accounts for over 5% of the country's GDP, with plans to increase this figure to 7.5% in the coming years.

A major development expected to further stimulate growth is Kyrgyzstan's removal from the European Union's "blacklist" of countries banned from using EU airspace. Kubatov described this as a "wonderful event" that will open new opportunities for direct flights from Kyrgyzstan to European countries. He anticipates this will directly lead to an increase in tourist flow and overall development of tourism within the republic.

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The removal of Kyrgyzstan from the 'blacklist' is a wonderful event. It opens up new opportunities for organizing direct flights from Kyrgyzstan to European countries and will directly impact the increase in the flow of tourists and the development of tourism in the republic.