Turkmenistan, long known for its fortress-like borders and scarcity of foreign visitors, is making tentative moves toward welcoming more tourists. In April, the government announced a plan to streamline its notoriously labyrinthine visa process, sparking cautious optimism among tour operators and adventurous travelers, per CNN. For now, though, the much-anticipated changes—like online applications and scrapping the requirement to obtain a "Letter of Introduction," part of a process that "often [deters] potential visitors due to its complexity and lack of transparency," notes Travel Noire—remain in bureaucratic limbo.
For decades, Turkmenistan has ranked among the world's most closed-off nations, its isolation rivaling that of North Korea and Eritrea. A Soviet-style travel system lingers: Visitors are still funneled through state-approved tour groups and face vetting that can drag on for months. But if the reforms materialize, the barriers to entry could drop, potentially giving the country's trickle of visitors a much-needed boost.
The nation's main draw remains the Darvaza Gas Crater, dubbed the "Gates of Hell"—a fiery pit in the Karakum Desert that's been ablaze for over half a century. But the flames are slowly fading, hinting that the country's most Instagrammed attraction could soon sputter out. Still, Turkmenistan's appeal goes beyond burning craters: Silk Road cities, futuristic Ashgabat with its marble palaces and golden statues, and sprawling UNESCO sites like Merv and Kunya-Urgench offer plenty to the intrepid.
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Why the shift now? Observers point to economic woes and stiff competition from neighboring Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which have both loosened up and seen tourism climb. In April, the Independent reported that President Serdar Berdimuhamedov will now be the one in charge of deciding what kind of e-visas will be accessible, as well as how they'll be issued and when they'll expire.
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