29 May 2024

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Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Tajikistan, Tajikistan Business Economy, Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

World Economic Forum Names Kazakhstan Best Tourism Destination in Central Asia

The World Economic Forum recently announced the Travel and Tourism Development Index for 2024. In this rating, the USA took first place, followed by Spain and Japan, which took second and third place respectively. France, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, China, Italy, and Switzerland completed the top ten. The Times of Central Asia has reviewed this report on the scale of Central Asian countries.

When compiling the rating, 119 countries were considered in several categories: enabling environment, policy and condition, infrastructure and service, resources, and sustainability.

In this rating, Kazakhstan takes 52nd place with a score of 4.07. Kazakhstan’s healthcare infrastructure, accessibility, and health security are rated at 5.98 points; it occupies 23rd place in this category. Another high indicator of the country is its socio-economic impact, in which Kazakhstan took 5th place.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism, 1,084,800 foreign tourists visited the country in 2023. This is 156,800 more people than last year.

“Our goal to develop the tourism sector in terms of quality is reflected in the rating improvement according to various criteria, including price competitiveness, quality of service, and socio-economic impact,” said Ermek Marjikpayev, minister of tourism and sports.

Uzbekistan takes 78th place in the rating, up from 94th in 2019. The indicators’ growth indicates that the country’s tourism initiatives are gradually improving. Uzbekistan records relatively good indicators in terms of price competitiveness (25), safety and security (26), socio-economic impact (33), and demand sustainability (40). The lowest indicator is the prioritization of travel and tourism. Uzbekistan’s potential in this regard is estimated at 3.30, occupying 105th place.

According to the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, 6.6 million tourists visited the country in 2023. During the year, citizens of the neighboring republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan recorded the largest number of visits.

The Central Asian countries record a good result in terms of price competitiveness. Tajikistan takes 10th place in this direction; its overall capabilities are estimated at 3.42 points, and it takes 99th place among 119 countries. We can also see that the country’s capabilities are relatively good in the categories of demand sustainability (21), safety, and security (33). The lowest results are non-leisure resources (113) and openness to travel and tourism (111).

For reference, 1 million 256 thousand tourists visited Tajikistan in 2023, with 92.5% of them being citizens of the CIS. This is 20.2% more than in 2022.

Kyrgyzstan recorded the lowest indicator in the region with 3.38 points, occupying 102nd place. Although its results are low compared to those of the other countries in the region, it ranks 11th in terms of price competitiveness.

According to Nurgozi Toychuyev, the Kyrgyz representative for the economy ministry’s tourism department, the republic’s situation in the field of tourism is stable. “If we do not consider the coronavirus period, the number of tourists is increasing yearly. For example, at the end of 2023, Kyrgyzstan received 8 million 557 thousand foreign citizens,” he said.

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Times of Central Asia

28 May 2024

Bag-i-Rudaki, Dushanbe; image: TCA

Central Asia, Environment, Home, Tajikistan, Tajikistan Environment

Dushanbe: Water for Sustainable Development

Tajikistan is collaborating with the United Nations to host an international meeting next month about water, an increasingly scarce resource in Central Asia.

The June 10-13 conference will promote the role of water in sustainable development, building on two similar gatherings in Dushanbe in 2018 and 2022. It follows a climate change conference currently underway in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Delegates to the Tajikistan meeting will talk about safe drinking water and sanitation, cross-border cooperation on water resources and the impact of climate change. Academic researchers, government officials, representatives of financial institutions and civil society members are expected to attend.

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Times of Central Asia

28 May 2024

photo: US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Justice, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture

One-Stop Service Center for Victims of Violence Opens in Kyrgyzstan

The first-ever One-Stop Service Center for Victims of Violence opened in Kyrgyzstan on May 28.

Created through collaboration between the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the new center will provide critical support for survivors by integrating medical care, counselling, legal aid, and police investigation services under one roof, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan.

As victims of violence often have difficulties accessing essential services and sometimes face negative societal attitudes, the One-Stop Service Center aims to empower survivors, improve access to justice, and create a safer environment.

During the opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie said: “A thriving democratic and civil society is like a vibrant tapestry, woven together by the threads of strong relationships and communities. Gender-based violence, however, threatens to unravel this tapestry, weakening the bonds that hold our society together.”

 

 

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Times of Central Asia

28 May 2024

photo:primeminister.kz

Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan to Increase Production of High Added-Value Products

The government of Kazakhstan has identified a list of key projects concerning the manufacture of non-resource products with high added value.

The list numbers 17 projects in the metallurgical and chemical industries, oil and gas chemistry, and automobile manufacturing. Each involves advanced processing of raw materials and will contribute to the development of related industries and the economy.

At a government meeting on May 28, Kazakhstan’s prime minister Olzhas Bektenov commented that “We must produce non-resource goods of high processing, whereby most of the profits will remain in the country and the level of economic diversification will increase.”

Commenting on preferences afforded to producers under the proposed new Tax Code, Bektenov stated: “In the draft of the new Tax Code, tax rates will be determined by the complexity of production. If an enterprise produces high value-added products, the tax rates will be lower, and if they produce raw materials, the tax rate will be higher.”

This year, as part of the Industrialization Map, Kazakhstan plans to launch 180 projects at a cost of 1.5 trillion tenge, and to create over 18,000 new jobs. The total volume of production will amount to 1.6 trillion tenge, including 600 billion tenge of exports and 1 trillion tenge of import substitution.

 

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Times of Central Asia

28 May 2024

Image: TCA, A.Chipegin

Central Asia, Home, Kyrgyzstan, Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy, Features

Gasoline Smuggling a Growing Business in Kyrgyzstan

Smuggled gasoline is being sold from plastic bottles on the outskirts of Bishkek. This fuel is cheaper than at official gas stations, but motorists say the quality is no worse.
Kyrgyzstan’s State Tax Service of Kyrgyzstan seized almost 100,000 liters of gasoline from illegal fuel and lubricant traders in the first four months of 2024 alone. The sellers were fined one million som ($11,500).
Fines are doing little to stop illegal gasoline sellers. One trader explained to The Times of Central Asia that selling smuggled gasoline is very profitable, earning them about $40 a day. The fine is only $35, and since a violator must be caught to be punished, most go about their business unaffected. As of 2023, the official average salary in Kyrgyzstan stood at $376 a month.
A liter of gasoline at such illegal points costs, on average, 10% less than at official gas stations: the trade is thriving and gaining momentum yearly.
The State Tax Service explained to The Times of Central Asia that their competence includes checking electronic invoices and the presence of cash registers or patents to pay taxes to the state. As a rule, illegal sellers have neither, so they are fined, and their products are confiscated. However, the tax authorities cannot completely stop the activities of traders. Two other government agencies can check fuel sellers: the traffic police and the ministry of natural resources. But Kyrgyzstan has a moratorium on business inspections, so officials’ hands are tied.
Illegal sellers sell both Russian and Kazakhstani gasoline. The supply chain is well organized — tanker truck owners take the fuel from the bases of official gas stations to special storage sites. Then gasoline is poured into plastic containers and sold on highways. The average capacity of a gasoline tanker is about 15 tons, and one tanker can transport up to 100 tons per day.
Despite the ban on exporting fuels and lubricants from Kazakhstan, gasoline and diesel from there are still smuggled into Kyrgyzstan. Points of sale for such fuel are concentrated along the border with Kazakhstan, on the northern outskirts of Bishkek. Kazakh gasoline is cheaper than Kyrgyz, which contributes to its popularity. Fuel from the neighboring country is delivered in hidden containers in ordinary cars and heavy trucks, and there are even secret underground gasoline pipelines in border communities.
The business of selling smuggled gasoline also thrives thanks to corruption. For example, last year, officers of the State Committee for National Security detained several employees of the State Tax Service, who, for a fee, made false transportation documents within the country and false consignment notes and seals.
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Times of Central Asia

28 May 2024

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Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Local Politics

World Bank to Help Uzbekistan Improve Social Protection

Uzbekistan will receive $100 million from the World Bank to improve its social services. The funds will also be used to set up 50 social service centers, train professionals to work with vulnerable people, and employ people with disabilities.

Under the ‘Inson’ project, various vulnerable groups will be able to receive more social services. There will be an additional $2 million grant to assess the impact of services on the wellbeing of vulnerable children.

“The project will assist in developing the legal and institutional framework for the ‘care economy’ sector in Uzbekistan. It will also help improve access to demanded social services that are still inaccessible to thousands of people, including elderly citizens, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and socially vulnerable children,” said the World Bank’s country manager for Uzbekistan Marco Mantovanelli.

The 50 social service centers are expected to facilitate targeted outreach to those in need, including the creation of a legal framework to improve the quality standards of social services. It is planned to train 1,200 people with disabilities in crafts and vocational skills, half of them young people aged 15-24.

The project will also provide quality legal, medical, psychological, and other assistance to female victims of violence. They will be allowed to learn computer and financial literacy and a profession. It is envisaged to create an adaptive system of social protection for vulnerable people during emergencies and due to climate change.

For 100,000 poor citizens in rural areas, the program will provide seeds for climate-resistant crops, agricultural tools, and training in farming under changing climatic conditions.

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Times of Central Asia