Contacts

Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aktoty Raimkulova met with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili. The meeting was held within the framework of the 8th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism "Smart Cities-Smart Destinations".  Providing support in the implementation of investment projects, training guides, strengthening cooperation within the framework of the UNWTO Silk Road Program – the discussion of all these issues began in March 2018, during the first official visit of the UNWTO Secretary General to the capital of Kazakhstan. As the minister noted, during this period, significant changes have taken place in the field of tourism of the country. In particular, in May of this year, the state program for the development of the tourism industry for 2019-2025 was adopted, which is already bearing first fruits. The government has carried out work on the liberalization of the visa and migration regime, citizens of 12 more states can visit Kazakhstan without a visa, it was decided to introduce an "open sky" regime at airports in 9 cities, the launch of a value-added tax refund mechanism "Tax free"was announced. Kazakhstan plans to further promote MICE tourism: the state intends to hold the international tourism exhibition ITB-Eurasia on a regular basis, which is planned to become the largest in the CIS. "I can say with confidence that Kazakhstan has something to show to a modern tourist. Our main trumps are the unique nature, original culture and traditions. Around this, we will develop eco -, ethno-tourism, adventure tourism – now these are the fastest growing segments of the tourist market," said Aktoty Raimkulova. Noting the importance of our country's cooperation with UNWTO, Aktoty Raimkulova expressed Kazakhstan's readiness to host one of the next meetings of the ministers of tourism of the Silk Road countries under the auspices of the World Tourism Organization. It was also noted at the meeting that the Kazakh side is particularly interested in the experience of the UNWTO academic program for training personnel in the field of tourism, since the International University of Tourism and Hospitality was established in Kazakhstan this year. Taking this opportunity, the Minister invited the UNWTO Secretary General to take part in the official opening of the university in 2020. In turn, the UNWTO Secretary General congratulated the Minister of Culture and Sports on the successful completion of the 8th Global Summit and expressed his readiness to support Kazakhstan in training personnel in the tourism sector. "We are ready to become partners of the International University of Tourism of Kazakhstan not only at the level of methodology, but also to open an international UNWTO center at a higher educational institution. In addition, we are ready to share academic online courses, " Zurab Pololikashvili said. The UNWTO Secretary General noted that these courses have so far been formed in English and Spanish. If the Kazakh side translates the programs into Russian, the university has every chance to become a leader in training personnel in the Central Asian region, attracting applicants from neighboring countries. During the meeting, the parties also discussed issues of cooperation between the Ministry and the World Tourism Organization. In particular, the possibilities of promoting Kazakhstani representatives to various UNWTO positions and including Kazakhstan in the list of countries applying for the XXV session of the UNWTO General Assembly in 2022 were considered. Reference: UNWTO is a World Tourism organization-an institution of the UN system, which includes 158 member countries, 6 associate members and more than 500 affiliated members. The main goal of the organization's activity is to ensure the public and sustainable development of the tourism sector. The headquarters is located in Madrid, Spain. Nur-Sultan joined the UNWTO Affiliate Members program in May 2018.