By Nazir Aliyev
CHOLPON-ATA, Kyrgyzstan (AA) – The number of tourists visiting Issyk-Kul lake, the world's tenth-largest lake, located in Kyrgyzstan's northern mountains, has surged in recent years, with the warm water and white sandy beaches attracting both domestic and international visitors.
The world's seventh-deepest splendor lake, located in the northern Tian Shan mountains of Cholpon-Ata town in the landlocked Central Asian country, is attracting a growing number of tourists, local businessmen told Anadolu Agency.
Sergei Ilcihsin, the owner of a business that organizes boat tours in the lake, said their business is improving because of the increased number of tourists in recent years.
During the pandemic, people realized the importance of clean water and air, as well as ecology, said Cholpon Kaybildayeva, who owns a restaurant near the lake.
Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, is only 260 kilometers (161 miles) from the capital Bishkek.
"The Lake Issyk-Kul is our pearl," surrounded by snow-capped mountains with warm water. "We need to invest more in infrastructure to protect the environment," Kaybildayeva suggested.
To accommodate people flocking to the lake area throughout the summer, the town has several large and small sanatoria, hotels, and guesthouses.
There are flights to the town from neighboring countries during the summer season, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia.
Issyk-Kul Lake is 182 kilometers long and up to 60 kilometers wide, with a total size of 6,236 square kilometers (2,408 square miles). It is located at an elevation of 1,607 meters (5,272 feet) and has a depth of 668 meters (2,192 feet).
Mohammed Osmankulov, a local tourist, commended the lake's beauty while emphasizing the importance of maintaining the lake's cleanliness at all costs.
"Lake Issyk-Kul is a gift to Kyrgyz people by Allah," he said.
* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara