Rooted in Mongolia: Our 2024 Impact Report
This past winter—2023/24—Mongolia endured one of the harshest dzuds in nearly 50 years. A devastating combination of extreme cold and heavy snowfall left herder families across the country struggling. Among them is the Batchuluun family, who live within Khustain Nuruu National Park and with whom we’ve had a long-term local community partnership since 2018. With 200 goats and sheep, 30 cows, and 20 horses, their livestock has sustained them for generations. But with over 4.7 million animals lost nationwide, survival has never been more difficult.
For the Batchuluun family, working with travellers provides a supplementary income that helps support their fragile way of life. Yet as Mongolia’s tourism industry prepares to welcome 2 million travellers by 2030, it faces a growing risk: tourism leakage.
The Dzud of 2023/24: A Harsh Reality for Herders
As mentioned, the winter of 2023/24 brought one of the harshest dzuds Mongolia has faced in nearly 50 years, with devastating consequences for food security and livelihoods across the country. According to the World Health Organization, snowfall reached its highest levels in almost five decades, blanketing 90% of the country at its peak in January. We first shared this video on our Mongolia and the Climate Emergency page, but given the scale of the crisis—and its direct impact on Mongolian herding families including those we work in long-term local community partnership with—we believe it’s important to share it again.
What Is Tourism Leakage—and Why Does It Matter?
For tourism to have a meaningful, positive impact, the revenue it generates must reach local people and circulate within communities. Tourism leakage occurs when that revenue flows out of the host country’s economy—into foreign-owned tour operators, imported goods and services, and international booking platforms—bypassing the very communities visitors come to experience.
Mongolia is in a promising position. International hotel brands like the Shangri-La, though primarily owned by Hong Kong–based Shangri-La Asia Limited, include substantial Mongolian ownership through MCS Group. Likewise, the majority of tourism ger camps—a cornerstone of the Mongolian travel experience—are privately owned and employ local community members. Some operate in partnership with international companies, but their rural locations help ensure that a meaningful percentage of tourism revenue stays within local economies.
Tourism Growth, Government Goals, and the Risk of Leakage
Still, while overseas travel is a privilege, it can also be an economic lifeline—for rural livelihoods, conservation initiatives, and community-driven projects. And although there are currently no specific statistics on tourism leakage in Mongolia, the mainstreaming of the industry—driven by initiatives such as the ‘Go Mongolia’ campaign and the designation of 2024–2028 as “the years to visit Mongolia”—has attracted more international operators. While all are required to operate through local partners, the risk of revenue leakage remains real.
Shifting Perceptions: Beyond the Chinggis Khaan Stereotype
There are other concerns, too. A majority of international travelers focus on specific regions or experiences. The 2021 report Fostering Inclusive Tourism Development in the Aftermath of COVID-19 noted that in 2019, 42% of Mongolia’s tourism arrivals occurred within just a three-month period, heavily concentrated in central and southern regions—creating significant geographic disparities in who benefits. Meanwhile, marketing stereotypes continue to dominate the narrative, often promoting an image of Mongolia as “unchanged since the time of Chinggis Khaan”—an oversimplification that overlooks the complexities of modern Mongolia, where around 75% of the population are not engaged in herding or nomadic lifestyles, and 67.1% live in urban areas including provincial capitals and small towns.
As writer Stuart Kenny puts it:
“Sustainable travel cannot simply mean arriving at a destination by train, bringing a bamboo toothbrush and drinking out of a keep cup when you get there. It must mean regenerative—actively benefiting the people who live in these cities and the wild places that we visit, and who make these destinations so special.”
Focus On Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar – Mongolia’s capital city – is often viewed as a transit hub rather than a destination in itself with factors such as hazardous air pollution – especially in the winter – traffic congestion, urban sprawl, and a lack of green spaces discouraging travellers from spending time in the city.
Yet, dismissing Ulaanbaatar from travel itineraries means overlooking an essential part of Mongolia’s story. The capital is a dynamic, evolving city and understanding its complexities is key to understanding Mongolia as a whole. We believe in presenting an honest and responsible perspective on modern Mongolia—one that highlights not only its rich cultural heritage but also the realities its people navigate every day. By incorporating Ulaanbaatar into our journeys, we aim to foster awareness, encourage meaningful, responsible travel, and support local initiatives working toward long-term sustainable solutions for both the city’s environment and the community.
Our Responsibility as a Tourism Company
At Eternal Landscapes, we’re deeply aware of our position. While we’re a registered tourism company in Mongolia—paying taxes locally and investing directly in our operations—our co-founder Jess is from the UK. That awareness strengthens our commitment to ensuring our work delivers real, lasting benefits to Mongolian people and landscapes.
We counteract tourism leakage by reinvesting in communities, building long-term partnerships, and championing a more inclusive, responsible tourism model. From our collaboration with herder families like the Batchuluuns, to our focus on hiring and training Mongolian women as trip assistants, our goal is simple: to create meaningful, measurable change.
Transparency Through Our 2024 Impact Report
The release of our 2024 Impact Report is a step toward greater transparency, accountability, and reflection. We know it’s not perfect—we’re a small team without the marketing budgets or scale of larger operators—but this report marks our starting point. A way to show where we stand, where we’re progressing, and where we still have work to do.
At our core, we believe in something bigger: that tourism can be a force for good—when it stays rooted in the people, places, and traditions it touches.
If you’re thinking of visiting Mongolia, why not travel with us? With Eternal Landscapes, you’ll travel with purpose—supporting local communities, not just ticking off destinations. Our experiences are designed to keep tourism local, meaningful, and rooted in the people and places that make Mongolia so special.
Jess @ Eternal Landscapes
