Mongolia sees 25.7% rise in foreign arrivals in first half of 2026

A total of 2,075.4 thousand passengers entered the country between January and June, contributing to 4,086.6 thousand border crossings recorded during the six-month period, up 13.7 percent year over year.

Of the inbound travelers, 1,599.4 thousand (77.1%) were Mongolian citizens, while 476,000 (22.9%) were foreign nationals. The number of inbound Mongolian citizens rose 10.9 percent from a year earlier, while foreign arrivals increased by nearly 97,400, or 25.7 percent.

The majority of travelers entered Mongolia through the Zamiin-Uud border crossing, which handled 34.9 percent of all arrivals. It was followed by Chinggis Khaan International Airport with 25.4 percent, Gashuunsukhait with 10.4 percent, Altanbulag with 7.9 percent, and Shiveekhuren with 7.1 percent. The remaining 14.3 percent entered through other border checkpoints.

More than half of all foreign visitors, 55 percent, came from the East Asia and Pacific region, while 39.3 percent arrived from Europe. Travelers from the Americas accounted for 2.6 percent, followed by the Middle East at 1.6 percent, South Asia at 1.3 percent, and Africa at 0.2 percent.

Chinese and Russian nationals made up the largest share of foreign arrivals. Citizens of China accounted for 33.9 percent of inbound foreign passengers, closely followed by Russia at 33.1 percent. Visitors from South Korea represented 11.9 percent of arrivals, while Japan accounted for 3 percent and Germany for 1.9 percent. The remaining 16.2 percent of foreign travelers were from other countries.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Mongolia and the EAEU roll out tariff cuts as the new trade deal takes effect.