When Erdenet Kasymov visited Beijing in June, the Kyrgyz tourism official was struck by more than the Chinese capital's landmarks.
The city's infrastructure, urban landscape and efforts to improve the visitor experience left a strong impression on the deputy director of the State Agency for Tourism Development under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic.
"Tourism connects the past, present and future of the two countries," Kasymov said during an interview at the World Tourism Cities Federation's Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit in June.
That connection is gaining a more tangible dimension as new air links, tourism-city networks and visitor services bring China and Kyrgyzstan closer.
The opening of a direct air route between Beijing and Bishkek, operated by Air China, has created a new link between the two capitals and boosted tourism cooperation opportunities.
Chen Bo, director-general of the World Tourism Cities Federation, said the route has significantly reduced travel time and distance between the two countries.
"Kyrgyzstan has rich tourism resources, including the snowcapped mountain peaks, grasslands and nomadic culture, which hold strong appeal for Chinese tourists," Chen said.
"Beijing, as both an ancient capital with a history spanning thousands of years and a modern international metropolis, also has significant tourism value for visitors from Kyrgyzstan and across Central Asia."
The direct flight, he said, creates conditions for the complementary tourism resources of the two destinations to be translated into "actual passenger flows and industrial cooperation".
The route also brings together three members of the federation: Beijing and Bishkek as city members, and Air China as a corporate member, according to the federation.
Bishkek took another step toward closer tourism cooperation in June, when it formally joined the World Tourism Cities Federation as a city member at the Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit.
Its admission extends the federation's network further into Central Asia and gives Bishkek a platform to share resources, exchange experience in tourism development, and explore cooperation with other member cities, Chen said.
For Kasymov, the federation provides an efficient platform for cities to also learn about new technologies and models. He said both Beijing and Bishkek are working to improve urban infrastructure and visitor experiences, and that the two capitals can play a bridging role in tourism exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan.
China is an important source market for Kyrgyzstan, and the country is seeking to make itself more accessible to Chinese travelers. Kasymov said Kyrgyzstan is improving entry facilitation, while universities will train Chinese-speaking tour guides and Chinese-language guidebooks will be provided at destinations popular with Chinese visitors.
The effort comes as Kyrgyzstan seeks to upgrade its tourism industry. The State Agency for Tourism Development was established earlier this year, with tourism included as a strategic development priority under the country's development plan through 2030.
Kasymov said the new agency aims to shift the sector from extensive growth toward higher-quality development, while improving tourism services and infrastructure and facilitating coordination with Chinese tourism authorities.
Mountain tourism is central to that strategy. Kasymov said Kyrgyzstan is continuing to develop hiking and winter tourism, while a major mountain ski resort project is expected to open next year. The project will feature more than 200 kilometers of ski runs, a ski town, hotels, and dining facilities.
The cooperation also has a wider regional dimension. The World Tourism Cities Federation and the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have collaborated on tourism since signing a framework agreement in 2017, including efforts to promote the historical and cultural heritage and tourism resources of China and countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Kyrgyzstan is chairing the SCO in 2025-26, with the SCO Council of Heads of State to meet in Bishkek on Tuesday.
For Kasymov, tourism is ultimately more than an industry. As new connections bring the two countries' cities and people closer, it is becoming a practical channel for turning shared tourism potential into greater travel flows and broader cooperation.
