Domestic holidaymaking in a Central Asian context: tourism legacies from pre-communist and Soviet times - Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

This chapter examines the concept of 'domestic tourism' in two very distinct epochs of a nation's history. In post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, it is notable that tourism development has been influenced by both pre-communist and Soviet legacies. One tourism site in particular retains national importance and has consistently maintained popularity throughout the country's history - Lake Issyk-Kul.

Firstly, traditional migration patterns of a Central Asian nomadic population are considered where excursions to summer pastures or 'jailoos' have given rise to the development of modern ecotourism products offered to western tourist markets. The importance of natural environmental resources to the lifestyles of this population is noted. Secondly, Soviet internal travel within the USSR region of Central Asia is examined, highlighting some interesting issues for a broader understanding of the term 'domestic tourism' in communist ideologies. The ways in which heavily institutionalised Soviet travel patterns have affected intra-regional Central Asian tourism are considered. The chapter is centred around a single tourism site, Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan - the second largest high altitude lake in the world after Lake Titicaca in South America (UNESCO, 2002) - a site deemed to be 'The Pearl of Central Asia' (Asel, 2007).