May 17 – Starting from July, Turkish Airlines will offer direct flights from Ulaanbaatar to Istanbul three times a week.
A cooperation memorandum on the direct flight was signed on by S. Batmonkh, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia and by Bahri Kesici, a deputy director-general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Communication. Continue reading
Mar. 16 – Mongolia’s travel and tourism sector directly contributed around US$256.3 million to the country’s gross domestic product in 2011, accounting for almost 4 percent of the total. Furthermore, it is forecast to rise by 7.3 percent in 2012, according to the World Travel and Tourist Council’s (WTTC) recent report titled, “Travel and Tourism: Economic Impact. Mongolia.”
The total contribution of the industry – direct, indirect and induced – is even larger and accounts for US$592.4 million, or 9 percent of Mongolia’s GDP, and is forecasted to rise by 6.4 percent in 2012. By comparison, the global average for direct industry contribution to GDP is 5.12 percent and for overall economic impact – 13.8 percent. Continue reading
Mar. 14 – Japan and Mongolia agreed on Monday to launch talks on a bilateral free trade agreement and to provide Ulaanbaatar with economic aid, officials said.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Mongolian counterpart Sukhbaatar Batbold, who is on a six-day visit to Japan from Saturday, also agreed that the two countries will boost cooperation in the development of natural resources and infrastructure, according to a joint announcement released after their meeting in Tokyo.
The matter was on the agenda last year as well, but it was stalled when Japan’s prime minister at the time, Naoto Kan, had to deal with the major crisis triggered by the March 2011 natural disasters. Continue reading
Part of the Khoshigt Valley, site of the new UB airport
May 23 – The Mongolian government has agreed with the government of Japan on a US$270 million soft loan, repayable over 40 years at a rate of just 0.2 percent to build a new airport to service Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. The city’s current airport suffers from occasional high winds and has a relatively short runway unsuitable for 747s and larger aircraft.
The new facility, to be built and completed by 2015, will be able to service all larger modern aircraft and affords better protection from windshear. It should reduce annual flight cancellations and delays from the current level of 2.5 percent down to 0.5 percent. The airport will be built in the Khoshigt Valley, near Terelj in Tov Aimag, about 54 kilometers from the capital. Construction on the new airport – together with a high speed motorway that connects Ulaanbaatar with the airport – is expected to be started later this year. The loan was agreed on condition that Japanese contractors and suppliers were used. Continue reading
May 31 – Mongolia has strengthened its ties with Hong Kong through the creation of a new consulate, and the establishment of bi-weekly direct flights to Ulaanbaatar. The links bring increased exposure to the financing and business opportunities in the country as Mongolia seeks to attract investors to help the nation develop its new-found wealth. Continue reading
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