This book aims to identify the impact of tourism on social and economic development in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan, and to predict the development of the tourism industry and identify any limiting factors for the development of the tourism industry in the Republic as a whole. The impacts of tourism on the region have been poorly understood since the country gained independence in 1991, and so improved methods for identifying and increasing the contribution of the tourism industry to the economic and social development of the region are needed. The book assesses the impact of tourism on the socio-economic situation in the Issyk-Kul region is assessed on the basis of statistical modelling and GIS mapping, provides a comparative analysis of the categories and types of tourism in the regions of the Republic, in particular in the Issyk-Kul region, and identifies factors that have a negative impact on the country's tourism potential, as well as the shortcomings and prospects for future development. The book's primary audience will be scholars and researchers whose research focuses on the socio-economic impacts of tourism, as well as students and planners. It is expected that it will become a source of information and inspiration for all readers who feel responsible for initiating sustainable development and sustainable use of tourism resources in Kyrgyzstan and other countries.

Sadyrbek Kozhokulov is a Research Associate at the Geography Department of M.M. Adyshev Institute of Geology, National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic (NAS KR). Senior Lecturer at the Department of Regional Studies and Kyrgyz Studies, Faculty of History and Regional Studies, Kyrgyz National University. He is Ph.D. in Human Geography. Gulnura Issanova is a PhD in Natural Sciences and is an Associate Professor at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. As well as scientist and researcher at Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry and at Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her research interests are focused on problems of soil degradation and desertification, Aeolian processes and water resources in Central Asian countries. Xi Chen is a Professor on Hydrology, Ecosystem, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Arid land. He is a Vice President of the Xinjiang branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and General Director of the Research Center for Ecology and Environmental of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences.