On July 10, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Yeraly Tugzhanov held a meeting on the development of domestic tourism, Qazmonitor reports referring to the official press release of the Kazakh Prime minister.
More domestic tourists
The meeting, which was part of the deputy PM's state visit, was attended by representatives of central and local government agencies, as well as a number of investors in the tourism industry.
Tugzhanov stated that the current prospects of the development of domestic tourism look promising, citing the example of the increase in the number of tourists to national parks in the first half of 2022.
The Almaty region was highlighted for its abundance of national parks, making it a key area for the development of ecotourism. The total number of visitors to the three national parks in the region at the end of 2021 exceeded not only the level in 2020 but also in 2019 when there were no restrictions.
“All this indicates a high rate of development of ecotourism and the spread of the culture of ecotourism itself among the population. At the same time, the prerequisite is to preserve biodiversity and avoid environmental damage."
More foreign tourists
Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Yerzhan Yerkinbaev, who also participated in the meeting, stated that there were a record number of 6.9 million domestic tourists by the end of last year. By the end of 2022, it is planned to increase the attendance for national parks to 1.6 million visitors.
Among the positive trend in the development of tourism, growth in foreign visitors was observed. As of now, Kazakhstan has restored international connections with 28 countries on 107 routes, as well as introduced visa-free travel for citizens of 77 countries. The vice minister said about 700,000 foreign tourists are expected by the end of the year.
The Government has begun implementing state support measures which include subsidizing tour operators for foreign tourists, the cost of children's air tickets and the content of the State Tourist Service, reimbursement mechanisms for the purchase of ski equipment and tour buses, construction of tourist facilities and roadside service facilities.
The latest initiative to promote domestic tourism is the Neonomad plan, which encourages tourists to follow along a mapped-out route to visit 20 regions of Kazakhstan.
Measures to increase tourist flow
The participants of the meeting also proposed suggestions to contribute to the tourism agenda.
Deputy Mayor of Almaty Alisher Abdykadyrov talked about plans to increase the capacity of the tourist flow by constructing an additional terminal in the city airport, with a focus on developing MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) tourism, or business tourism.
Almaty Region's Akimat proposed allowing owners of agricultural lands to engage in tourism activities by constructing accommodations on their territory.
Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Serikkali Brekeshev proposed to digitize the process of collecting fees for entry of vehicles into national parks. Investors also reported on the implemented projects in the national parks and made their own proposals.
Tugzhanov invited the participants to hold regular meetings to discuss issues and jointly make decisions on the development of domestic tourism in the country.
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