NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The capital of Kazakhstan last week became the final destination of the cultural press tour of foreign journalists to the country, during which they visited the cities of Almaty, Shymkent and the Turkestan region, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported.
The main goal of the one-week press tour was to showcase the rich culture and history of Kazakhstan through the project “Contemporary Culture of Kazakhstan in the Global World”. The trip’s participants were 15 journalists from Austria, Germany, Italy, South Korea, China, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Japan and other countries, representing media outlets including Le Figaro, Die Presse, Global Times, Korean Broadcasting System, Specchio Economico, and others.
During the tour, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of regional administrations, representatives of foreign media got acquainted with the modern culture, art, history and tourist attractions of Kazakhstan.
In Almaty, the journalists visited a number of cultural and historical institutions, including the Kasteyev Museum of Art, where they got acquainted with the artistic culture of Kazakhstan, the Qazaq Oner Center for Craftsmen, where they saw traditional Kazakh musical instruments and types of traditional Kazakh music, and also participated in a brief master class by artisans.
A walk along Kok-Tobe, a visit to the high-mountain skating rink Medeo and the mountain resort Shymbulak, as well as a trip to the Big Almaty Lake, made a lasting impression on the journalists as they promised to return to Almaty with their friends and families. No less impressive was the trip to the Charyn Canyon.
In Shymkent and the Turkestan region, the guests visited the ancient city of Otrar, the mausoleums of Arystanbab and Khoja Ahmed Yassavi, as well as other tourist sites in the region.
In Nur-Sultan, journalists met with the Minister of Culture and Sports, Aktota Raimkulova, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, Mukhtar Yerman, and other members of the Mazhilis to learn more about the national policy to preserve the country’s rich cultural heritage, tourism development and the strengthening of international relations for the study of historical and archival data in other countries.
The majority of journalists said that they had discovered a new country with an amazing history and rich culture, hospitable people and clean and modern cities. Almost all of the guests agreed that more people need to visit Kazakhstan to discover a lot of new things, as “this country has something to offer even to the well-travelled tourist”.
