Tourism experts from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan discussed the prospects for promoting regional tourism at a briefing in Astana. Deputy Minister of Tourism of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Yerkinbayev noted the growing popularity of Central Asia among foreign tourists, Vesti.kg reports.
According to him, the republics are developing uniform hospitality service standards and plan to expand cooperation in ski tourism.
About half a million people are currently employed in Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, and the revenue in the hospitality industry may grow by one third, reaching $476 million.
According to ex-Director of the Marketing and Promotion Department of the Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic Mars Cherikchiev, Astana and Bishkek need to set up joint working groups, consisting of representatives of government agencies and tourism business, to address organisational issues and simplify border control. He suggested focusing on developing joint tourist routes, including the renovation of existing mountain trails.
