International Tourist Arrivals in Mongolia

Most of 2018 brought good news for tourism in Mongolia. Data shown that visitors in Mongolia have reached to over 500,000 persons for the first time. The gain in international visitors in 2018 is a positive for the travel industry. The overall increase more that 12% from total visitors in 2017.

Over 460 thousand international arrivals visited Mongolia, a 16 percent (more than 30 thousand) increase in such arrivals from 2016. Top 10 countries that visitors came from were still in same sequence from previous year except in UK and Australia. However, the numbers of tourists from the countries was in absolute increase.

There were 404.1 thousand tourists to Mongolia by oversea visitors in December, 2016 (4.6% more than in 2015). The visitors from countries (not including China and UK) were increasing significantly.

Even though the visitors from China have been composed majority number of Mongolian tourists, it had been dropping for last 2 years. Total tourists in Mongolia were 386.2 thousand in 2015.

Tourist arrivals decreased 5.9% in 2014 to 392.8 thousand from 417.8 thousand in 2013, based on data reported by CEIC. Tourists from China were still standing the 1^st – 40 percent which is 157.7 thousand. Tourists from Kazakhstan increased by 2 thousand and it was equal with number of USA tourists.

The figures in 2013 released by CEIC data show a drop in total international visitors to Mongolia by close to 58 thousand compared to the previous year. The largest drop was from China (-21% from 2012) but still ranked 1^st in the list.

International visits totaled 475.8 thousand. The top countries of origin for Mongolian tourists continued to be China, Russian Federation and Republic of Korea. Visitors from Kazakhstan became the sixth largest group – jumped more than 30 percent from 2011 levels.

Visits from top 10 countries were going up year-over-year. Especially visits from Australia were up dramatically from 2 years ago, 2009-3.7 thousand, 2010-5.4 thousand, 2011-7.9 thousand while visits from France was still same as in 2010 but ranked 2 ways down as visits from UK did.

In 2010, 456 thousand international arrivals visited Mongolia, a 7.4 percent (more than 30 thousand) decrease in such arrivals from 2009, according to figures from CEIC data. Top 10 countries that visitors came from were still in same sequence from previous year. But the number of visitors from China decreased by more than 30 thousand whilst Russian Federation increased by over 20 thousand. And tourists from other countries increased by 5 hundred to 2 thousand each.

International tourists totaled 492.8 thousand, up 10 percent from 446.4 thousand in 2008. The sequence of the countries that major visitors come from were still same, but numbers of visitors changed (grew and declined), China (+16%), Russian Federation (-1.7%) and Republic of Korea (-11%). Also, UK visitors decreased by approximately a thousand.

In 2008, International tourists totaled 446.4 thousand according to revised figures released by CEIC data. Russian Federation (24% of all tourists) was the biggest source of international visitors to Mongolia after China (44% of all tourists).  China visitors totaled 196.8 thousand whilst Russian Federation totaled 109.9 thousand, and third country that the greatest number of tourists visited Mongolia was Republic of Korea numbered 43.3 thousand.