Chairman of the Presidium of the Atameken NCE RK Timur Kulibayev, chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee Pavel Kazantsev, chairman of the Board of the Atameken NCE RK Ablay Myrzakhmetov, Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Kozhagapanov have dicussed the issues of development of the tourism industry in the country and the implementation of the sectoral state program for 2019-2025.

Timur Kulibayev noted the interest of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs in the development of the tourism industry. It is the tourism industry that is a real opportunity for the full expansion of SMEs and the service sector, since it has a wide potential for attracting business resources and it does not require large capital investments. Tourism is the number one industry in job creation.

 “Tourism is a good example of the economy of simple things. The opportunities of the tourism industry allow solving a wide range of social and economic problems: improvement of infrastructure, development of regions and provision of employment of the population. This is an industry where it is possible and necessary to use the serious potential of small and medium-sized businesses,” Timur Kulibayev said.

At the meeting, the participants   noted the close cooperation of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, in particular, the work of the headquarters on the development of the state program for tourism development considering business view. However, Timur Kulibayev reminded that the implemtation of each sectors should have deadlines. We should create the appropriate infrastructure and quality tourist products before advertising Kazakhstan as an attractive destination for potential tourists. We should introduce such innovations as, for example, bed tax (tax on hotel accommodation) on foreigners, the annual number of which does not exceed 900 thousand. As an example, he cited the United Arab Emirates, which introduced this tax only in 2014, when 12 million tourists visited Dubai. Spain introduced this tax in 2012, when the flow of tourists reached 40 million tourists. For Kazakhstan, this is a premature measure. Moreover, the receipt of an electronic visa is still an open question.

 “The fact that the e-visa has been launched is already good, but it is necessary to eliminate the failures of the system. The agencies that are responsible for issuing visas should announce specific dates for the normal operation of the system,” he said.

He drew attention to the serious lag behind the neighboring countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan, which revive and expand their infrastructure much more productively than Kazakhstan. In particular, the chairman of the Presidium of the Atameken NCE noted the active renewal of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand. He proposed to allow the current generated flow of tourists to Uzbekistan to visit Turkestan. Turkestan is a city that attracts tourists with a rich historical, archaeological and cultural heritage. Thus, travelers who want to get acquainted with the ancient eastern cities of the Great Silk Road and UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be able to get a more eventful tour.

According to the vice-minister of Culture and Sports, today the Unified Tourist Information Card is being formed. This will determine the priorities of the industry in all regions, provide industry planning, a transparent scheme for financing infrastructure facilities, and also approve akim rating criteria.

Timur Kulibayev stressed the importance of including places for school holidays, vacations and weekends in regional maps. He drew attention to the lack of infrastructure and poor service of the three megalopolises of the country and regional centers.

“We need to remember that tourism is one of the best methods of upbringing the individual and patriotism among the younger generation. Children's impressions of traveling with a family or school to beautiful places in their native country evoke love of country, form patriotism. We must provide our citizens with high-quality and affordable tourist services,” Timur Kulibayev said.

Chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee Pavel Kazantsev recalled that Kazakhstan was famous with its  mountains. There are mountains of any format and type in the country. We have climbers of world level. Kazakhstan is currently restoring this status.

When discussing the development of tourism in Almaty and Almaty region, the head of the NCE proposed to combine the existing infrastructures: Shymbulak - Medeu - Butakovka – Lesnaya skazka - Almatau into a single mountain cluster by hiking routes and cableway, thereby diversifying the cycle of riding, walking and recreation. There is considerable potential for recreation in the areas of the Almarasan gorge and Big Almaty Lake.

Pavel Kazantsev believes that in the sphere of tourism development, it is very effective to use the practice of PPP and under these conditions local communities can build infrastructure, focusing on building middle-level facilities that are affordable to Kazakhstani people. At the same time, a comprehensive development of the transport (road, parking, accommodation of wild tourists and caravaners) and engineering (water supply and drainage, power supply, etc.) infrastructure is needed.

Photo: ©Zolotukhin

The head of the Atameken noted that incomes from SMEs remain in the regions, akimats are interested in the development of tourism, which has a direct and indirect impact on the economy of the region.

 “The road to Bayanaul National Park has already been repaired. The place is beautiful, but the lake itself is small, the ecology is fragile. At the same time, there are not enough tourist accommodations, no infrastructure, no modern sewage system. If there is an influx of tourists, there will be a serious burden on the environment. It is necessary now to create recreation areas with a high level of socio-economic development. Each area should have specific plans, projects and implementation dates,” Timur Kulibayev said.

According to the calculations of the Ministry, if there is an introduction of subsidies only for children's air tickets in the amount of 7.6 billion tenge, Kazakhstanis would spend on holidays in the amount of 36 billion tenge. Every year, outbound tourism is 1.5 times higher than inbound tourism. The outflow of the national currency is on average equivalent to 2.7 billion USD. If we have a competent approach and comprehensive support measures for the development of domestic tourism the amount of up to 1 billion USD will remain in the country.

At the end of the meeting, a decision was made to create a project office at the Atameken NCE RK, following the example of working with the Ministry of Industry and Innovation Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the Chairman of the Board Ablay Myrzakhmetov, the organization of this structure, where all participants will be involved, is an effective mechanism for solving problematic issues on the formation of business cases and the implementation of the state program.