ULAANBAATAR -- It is hard to escape Genghis Khan on a visit to Mongolia. There are beers and vodkas that bear his name, and many tours paying homage to the leader who unified the warring tribes of the plains and founded the largest contiguous empire the world has seen.
Since 2005, the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol Empire, Ulaanbaatar’s international airport has borne his name -- but it has become too small to handle the number of tourists targeted by the government, which is seeking to diversify the economy away from reliance on mineral exports.