Turkmenistan is one of the least-visited countries in the world, yet it offers some of the most unique travel experiences in Central Asia.
From the famous Darvaza Gas Crater ("Door to Hell") to the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, travelers can explore remarkable history, vast desert landscapes and a rich cultural heritage.
As a tourism professional based in Turkmenistan, I have seen growing interest from travelers looking for authentic and off-the-beaten-path destinations. Visitors are often surprised by the modern architecture of Ashgabat, the hospitality of local people and the diversity of experiences available across the country.
I'm curious to hear from other travel professionals:
What do you think is the biggest challenge when promoting lesser-known destinations to international travelers?
Greetings from Turkmenistan and looking forward to connecting with the Travel Massive community.
Having grown up in Tasmania (a small island at the bottom of Australia with about half a million population), the tourism challenges as a "lesser known" destination have been mostly about how people can get here.
For example — to get to Tasmania from anywhere other than New Zealand, you have to first arrive in Melbourne or Sydney (or another mainland capital) and then take a domestic flight, or a ferry to the island. This is friction that deters a lot of people, who after already having travelled for 20+ hours to get to Australia, don't want to spend another half a day getting to our beautiful island.
However — I'm kind of glad it's hard to get here. It means people make an effort to visit, and I'm sure it makes it feel like a more worthwhile experience when they finally get here. Plus, we're a small island and in some places are already seeing signs of overtourism.
For Turkmenistan, it seems like visa requirements are your friction? If you want more visitors, you need to make it easier. Any news on that?
Why does Turkmenistan remain one of Asia's most undiscovered destinations?
Why does Turkmenistan remain one of Asia's most undiscovered destinations?
was posted by Batyr Rahmanov
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Discussion,Turkmenistan,Asia.
Featured on Jun 9, 2026 (Today).
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Turkmenistan is one of the least-visited countries in the world, yet it offers some of the most unique travel experiences in Central Asia.
From the famous Darvaza Gas Crater ("Door to Hell") to the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, travelers can explore remarkable history, vast desert landscapes and a rich cultural heritage.
As a tourism professional based in Turkmenistan, I have seen growing interest from travelers looking for authentic and off-the-beaten-path destinations. Visitors are often surprised by the modern architecture of Ashgabat, the hospitality of local people and the diversity of experiences available across the country.
I'm curious to hear from other travel professionals:
What do you think is the biggest challenge when promoting lesser-known destinations to international travelers?
Greetings from Turkmenistan and looking forward to connecting with the Travel Massive community.
Having grown up in Tasmania (a small island at the bottom of Australia with about half a million population), the tourism challenges as a "lesser known" destination have been mostly about how people can get here.
For example — to get to Tasmania from anywhere other than New Zealand, you have to first arrive in Melbourne or Sydney (or another mainland capital) and then take a domestic flight, or a ferry to the island. This is friction that deters a lot of people, who after already having travelled for 20+ hours to get to Australia, don't want to spend another half a day getting to our beautiful island.
However — I'm kind of glad it's hard to get here. It means people make an effort to visit, and I'm sure it makes it feel like a more worthwhile experience when they finally get here. Plus, we're a small island and in some places are already seeing signs of overtourism.
For Turkmenistan, it seems like visa requirements are your friction? If you want more visitors, you need to make it easier. Any news on that?