Mongolia celebrates eagle festival to promote tourism

More than 10 eagle hunters from Bayan-Ulgii province, home to eagle hunters, participated in the 12th edition of the event, which features several activities to showcase the skills of both the birds and their trainers

Mongolia kicked off its annual Golden Eagle Festival near the capital city here on Saturday to promote the country's pandemic-hit tourism sector.

The event called "Nomadic Winter - Golden Eagle Festival" was co-organized by the Mongolian Eagle Hunters' Association and Governor's Office of the western province of Bayan-Ulgii under the auspices of the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism and Ministry of Culture.

More than 10 eagle hunters from Bayan-Ulgii province, home to eagle hunters, participated in the 12th edition of the event, which features several activities to showcase the skills of both the birds and their trainers, including specially-trained golden eagles catching small animals such as foxes and hares and owners calling eagles from some distance away. The festival, cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, attracted thousands of domestic and foreign tourists this year.