Ulaanbaatar
Greater Tumen Initiative Tourism Board Meeting Held in Mongolia
Society
Ulaanbaatar, December 15, 2025 /MONTSAME/. The 16th “Greater Tumen Initiative" (GTI) Tourism Board Meeting was held in Mongolia on December 10-11, 2025.
Representatives from the GTI, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Mongolia, and, from the Mongolian side, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth, professional associations, researchers, private sector representatives and representatives from Khentii, Dornod and Sukhbaatar aimags’ departments of culture, arts, tourism and youth participated in the event both in person and online. The participants discussed developing community-based tourism.
During the meeting, representatives of GTI’s member states exchanged
ideas and initiatives on creating opportunities for local communities and
businesses to generate income through tourism while promoting the development
of community-based tourism.
At the meeting, China accepted the hosting rights for the 17th session of the GTI Tourism Council.
The “Greater Tumen Initiative” program was established in
1995 with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It
aims to expand economic cooperation in Northeast Asia and promote sustainable
development. The four member countries of the program, Mongolia, China, Russia,
and South Korea, collaborate to promote cooperation in trade, investment,
transport, energy, tourism, agriculture, and environmental protection.
The GTI prioritizes six key areas of cooperation through dedicated committees established at different stages of the initiative's development. The Tourism Board, established in 2008, was the first sectoral committee, followed by the Energy Board (2009), Transport Board (2010), Trade and Investment Committee and Environment Board (2011), and Agriculture Committee (2016). The GTI Tourism Board focuses on boosting cross-border tourist arrivals, enhancing tourism infrastructure, and streamlining border procedures, including visa processes.
