ASTANA (TCA) — At the International Travel Mart International Travel Fair 2016 (ITMTF 2016) held in China, Kazakhstan and China agreed to continue improving conditions for tourists of the two countries in the framework of the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan and the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China in 2017, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan reported on its website.
A joint national stand represented the regions of Kazakhstan and major tourist companies at the exhibition in China. They presented the tourist services of Kazakhstan, as well as the potential of participation and cooperation in the framework of the International Exhibition “Astana EXPO 2017”.
The Director of the Department of Tourism Industry at the Ministry for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, Marat Yigaliev, held meetings with representatives of the State Tourism Administration of China. The parties agreed to continue deepening practical cooperation, to improve conditions for tourists, and extend cooperation in the framework of the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan and the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China in 2017.
“Today there is a serious struggle for Chinese tourists in the world, because every tenth tourist in the world is Chinese,” Yigaliev said. “In 2015, the number of Chinese who went abroad exceeded 120 million, and the total volume of consumption of Chinese tourists abroad exceeded 200 billion USD… The interest to Kazakhstan is very big. Tourists from affluent southern Chinese regions have very little knowledge about our country. Therefore, the Department of Tourism Industry of the Ministry for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan in cooperation with tour operators and businesses headed by NCE RK Atameken presented the tourist potential of the country at the exhibition. As part of 2017 — The Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China, together with other government agencies, we plan to hold a series of activities to promote Kazakhstan in China.”
According to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China, in 2015, a total of 118,321 Kazakh visas were issued to citizens of China. Of them, 83,358 visas, or more than 70 percent, were issued to ethnic Kazakhs living in China. The others included 19 thousand business visas, 10,000 work visas, 4,600 travel visas, and 173 study visas.
