The World Travel & Tourism Council has predicted Mongolia’s tourist industry can expect sustained growth until 2027. It predicts the GDP contribution from the travel and tourism industry will rise 5.3% this year, with numbers of tourists projected to rise 9.1%. American Express has noted a sharp increase in bookings for Mongolia travel in 2017, projected to rise to 620,000 in 2025, all encouraging figures for the development of Mongolia’s hospitality industry. 

The country’s capital and commercial centre, Ulaanbaatar has Mongolia’s best hotels. The city’s international establishments include the Shangri-la and the Kempinski. The budget-friendly ibis Styles Ulaanbaatar has just opened, and more hotels are under construction such as the five-star Mövenpick hotel. According to the Mongolian Association of Hotels, the number of hotels stands at 1,800 establishments, including 11 five-star hotels, and 9 four-star hotels.

Outside of Ulaanbaatar, other than budget-friendly hotels and hostels, accommodation tends to be inexpensive, and reflects the general quality of the hotels on offer. Two four-star establishments have opened: The Buudai Hotel in Darkhan and the Ikh Khorum Hotel in Kharkhorin, near the Erdene Zuu monastery complex. The Terelj Hotel & Spa is the only five-star hotel outside of Ulaanbaatar. Located next to the Terelj National Park, the hotel features a world-class spa that won a 2016 World Luxury Travel award. The fact that there are currently so few four and five star hotels, compounded with an upturn in the Mongolian GDP suggests that the hospitality industry is ripe for development. 

With many travellers planning their own trips online, Mongolia’s hotels must be online and easily accessible. Currently, booking.com lists only five properties outside Ulaanbaatar, and no hotels in Erdenet are currently listed on English-language booking websites.

Ger camps tap into the ‘authenticity’ and ‘cultural immersion’ trends in tourism, and present perhaps the most exciting opportunity for future development in the Mongolian hospitality industry. As of 2012 there were 300 ger camps across the whole of Mongolia, with few meeting international luxury standards. Ger camps may be divided into two categories: tourist, and luxury. Approximately 50 tourist ger camps are available for booking online via the online platform mongoliagercamps.net.

Two of the most exclusive ger camps include The Mongke Tengri Camp, in the Orkhon National Park, close to the ancient city of Kharkhorin. It has been featured in Condé Nast Traveller and charges guests more than $500 a night. 

The Three Camels Lodge based in Dalanzadgad, in the Gobi, has partnered with luxury travel providers such as National Geographic Lodges and Abercrombie&Kent. The Lodge offers 40 individual gers, each with their own bathroom and decorated in the Mongolian style. The gers themselves are traditional, felt-clad, wooden-slatted structures. It was awarded World’s Best Ecolodge at the 2013 National Geographic Traveller awards. 

For more information, visit:

Shangri-la

Kempinski

ibis Styles Ulaanbaatar

The Terelj Hotel & Spa

mongoliagercamps.net

The Mongke Tengri Camp

Condé Nast Traveller

National Geographic Lodges

Abercrombie&Kent