Ahead of major international events — the SCO summit and the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan — the capital's authorities have found an unusual way to reduce the strain on the city. The Bishkek mayor's office reviewed tour offers and suggested that local tour operators introduce special discounts to encourage residents to leave the city or go abroad during the extended weekend, reports infohub.kz.
From August 25 to September 10, 2026, Bishkek residents can get discounts of up to 10% using promo codes at several popular companies. For example, the travel agency Kyrgyz World Trip offers tours to the picturesque lakes Kol-Tor, Sary-Chelek, Son-Kul, Kel-Suu, and Ala-Kul, as well as to the Alamedin and Altyn-Arashan gorges, with the promo code Bishkek-Vik. International destinations include Almaty, Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Horseback riding and combined tours are also available.
The travel company Pegas Trip organizes trips to Sary-Chelek, Son-Kul, Kel-Suu, one-day and two-day tours to Almaty, as well as horseback riding excursions. The same promo code Bishkek-Vik applies.
However, the travel agencies note an important detail: the discounts are intended exclusively for Bishkek residents.
The authorities' initiative to "politely evict" residents during the summit and the Nomad Games has sparked discussions and a wave of irony on social media. In comments, residents say they are ready to leave only if the mayor's office gives them 25,000-30,000 soms (about 160,000 tenge) for the trip.
"No, I'll stay. Let them look at my unpleasant face."
"Don't go anywhere! You'll come back and find your apartments rented out to the Chinese for 49 years!"
"Give us 25-30 thousand soms, and you won't even notice we've left."
"I've never heard of such a thing. This has never happened anywhere in the world," users write.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that a forum was held in Bishkek where architects from China and Kyrgyzstan presented the updated city concept "Asman." For Kazakhs, who traditionally choose Issyk-Kul for summer vacations, this news is especially interesting, as construction will take place right on the northern shore of the lake.