Handicraft tourism in Kyrgyzstan: features and prospects

Abstract

In the modern world, handicraft tourism is one of the developing types of tourism. The authors of this paper note that handicraft tourism is becoming more and more popular every year. Among other things the increasing number of tourists to the Kyrgyz Republic is associated with the manifestation of interest in the crafts and trades of the Kyrgyz. Handicraft tourism plays an important role as a tool for the preservation and development of the people’s cultural heritage, contributes to the solution of population employment issues, stimulates an increase in the educational and cultural level of the population, blurs the boundaries between people. The article reveals the developmental characteristics of handicraft skills of the Kyrgyz as a part of traditional culture. The properties of wool, the technology of making felt, the combination of color shades, the placement of patterns on the felt, as well as their change in modern conditions are described. It is concluded that felt carpets, which have absorbed aesthetic and practical functions, have always been distinguished by their environmental friendliness and naturalness. The authors are convinced that these valuable qualities of handicraft products provide an opportunity for the development of handicraft tourism, in the future, as one of the priority areas of the Kyrgyzstan economy. Over time, the craft culture of the republic can become a permanent and demanded product offered for consumption and use by tourists.