Kyrgyzstan has begun a new large-scale press and PR campaign engaging Turkish social media personalities to introduce the country as one of the world’s leading tourist attractions. The project partnered with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy to promote awareness of Kyrgyzstan, especially in the region where Turkish is spoken through social media celebrities. The initiative is part of Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to restore the tourism sector, which, according to official data, constituted 5.1 percent of the country’s GDP in 2023. Last year, the country welcomed over 1.8 million tourists, but authorities have set their sights to double this number by 2026. According to a Ministry spokesperson, the country plans to host over 3 million tourists per year in the next few years and sees the use of social media as critical to achieving the target.

Several popular Turkish travel bloggers with millions of followers are expected to come to Kyrgyzstan to visit the country’s main attractions, such as Issyk-Kul Lake, Osh, a city on the Great Silk Road, and the Tien-Shan mountains. These influencers have more than 20 million followers who will be able to follow their experiences on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. “Social media has a direct influence on the travel planning process,” says Burak Öztürk, a Turkish travel blogger with over 1.5 million followers, among whom some of them are participating in the initiative. “We look forward to providing the world with a view to the untouched nature and ethnic values of Kyrgyzstan—the country that has remained uncharted for quite a long time.”

The government of Kyrgyzstan has allied with Turkish influencers as a part of its plan to increase tourism revenue, which is anticipated to rise about 7–10 percent annually till the year 2028. This campaign is also compatible with the country’s sustainable development goals, focussing on the promotion of eco-tourism and cultural conservation.