We interviewed Head of the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department D.Batsukh on the issuance of the Naadam Festival tickets for tourists and events to be organized this year.

-Naadam is one of the most popular events in Mongolia for both locals and tourists. How will tickets for this year's festival be sold to tourists?

-Travel agencies are pre-ordering tickets for Naadam. The National Sports Stadium has about 12 thousand seats. Thus, 2,500-2,800 tickets are annually sold to tourists. Pre-orders are being accepted online by e-mail at [email protected] or in a hard copy until June 29. In previous years, the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department used to receive pre-orders for 10-12 thousand tickets a year. That's five times higher than the number of tickets available. Therefore, the department is receiving official letters and booking confirmations of flight tickets and accommodations alongside the pre-orders.

The number of people interested in watching the Naadam Festival exceeds the number of tickets available for sale. This is why, it is necessary to sell tickets only to pre-ordered and verified tourists. For the last 7-8 years, the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department has been allocating the ticket the same way.

-How much is the ticket price?

-The price set by the organizing committee is USD 25 plus MNT 25,000. The ticket for the section in which additional seats will be placed is MNT 20,000.

-What are the criteria to issue tickets for the tourists?

-Tickets are sold to individual tourists to make tickets more accessible. In previous years, the issuance of tickets to travel companies was considered based on factors including the company’s activity, social insurance contributions, etc. However, these have not been taken into account for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we are taking into account the flight tickets and hotel reservations in accordance with the instructions given by the Minister of Environment and Tourism this year.

-The Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department annually organizes Deeltei Mongol Naadam. What are the features of this year's festival?

-Deeltei Mongol Naadam is a day for Mongolians to be proud of their national culture. The Government of Mongolia has made a decision to annually mark the National Costume Day on July 9. In the past, it was organized only by the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department. However, the event will be held this year in a wider scope with the support of the Ministry of Culture and professional arts organizations. The citizens of the nine districts of the capital city will organize a parade. There will also be a nomination for the best district, best-dressed couple, and best designer.

-What events does the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department plan to organize this year not only for tourists but also for the citizens of Ulaanbaatar?

-A religious cultural event "Khuree Tsam-Danshig Naadam" will be held from August 6-7. This is a major tourism event after the National Naadam Festival. Additionally, UB Food Festival will be held. We are also planning to organize an international hiking festival. Within this framework, tourists from Japan and South Korea will arrive in Mongolia to co-organize a joint festival of the three countries in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. In addition, a number of events are also planned, including the Japan-Korea Cultural Festival, “Khiimori” International Competition of Mounted Archery, the Falcon Festival, and the Uukhai Ankle Bone Shooting Festival.

CAPITAL CITY TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY