Conceptual dissonance, economic transition and the struggle for local control in ecotourism development : the case of the Kyrgyz Republic

This paper explores attempts to implement ecotourism projects within the former USSR state of Kyrgyzstan (also referred to as the Kyrgyz Republic). The largest new tourism projects within Kyrgyzstan are being driven by the funding agendas of international development actors and the dependency of the Kyrgyz Government on external technical assistance. The exact relationship between these international development actors and the Kyrgyz Government is difficult to define and the locus of power within the relationships is complicated to identify. The involvement and influence of development actors from more industrialised economies has resulted in a push towards sustainable forms of tourism development. However, these forms of tourism are often alien to not only the Kyrgyz population but also the Kyrgyz Government and the local tourism industry. The concept of ‘ecotourism’, in particular, has no direct translation into the local language and is conceptually unfamiliar to local people (Foster, 2000).