The village of Arstanbap in the Jalal-Abad region in Kyrgyzstan is the center of attraction for tourists from all over the world – a unique relict walnut forest stretching over 600 thousand hectares, waterfalls, places of pilgrimage for Muslims.
Baktykan Myrzakulova is a resident of Arstanbap, formerly a secretary in the village administration, now engaged in tourism business with her family. She is a participant of the Sanarip Insan project, aimed at developing digital skills and improving the economic well-being of women and youth living in the regions of Kyrgyzstan. After the trainings, she was able to increase her profit by 50%.
Baktykan heard about the project from the villagers and decided to participate.
“We have included large and small waterfalls, the inner part of the forest on the map. It can be viewed from a mobile phone and you can walk for a long time without the help of a guide. Booking requires responsibility, it should be opened and viewed regularly. Facebook Instagram and Facebook are used by local tourists, and Booking and Google are used by foreigners. It is convenient for us to work with pre-orders. Since I started applying my knowledge with trainings in business, the number of tourists has increased by 50%.”
Now her Happy Family Guesthouse can accommodate 20 people.
She plans to further improve her knowledge by taking part in projects organized for women. There are plans to build large guest houses, improve service and create comfortable conditions for tourists.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union and is implemented by the European Neighborhood Council and ISOC Kyrgyz Chapter
