ASTANA (TCA) — The business forum “Ontustik Business: Opportunities and Prospects” was held in Astana last week with the aim to present the investment climate and state programs to support investors in the South Kazakhstan region and attract tourists to this region, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan reported.
“The South Kazakhstan region (SKR) is one of the most populated regions of the country and the most active in terms of business. The number of active entrepreneurs in the SME sector is about 178 thousand. In South Kazakhstan there is a high share of processing industry, there is a positive development of the agro-industrial complex. Also, agriculture is actively growing in the region. This is one of those regions that supplies food, including to Astana,” said Nurzhan Altaev, Deputy Chairman of Atameken.
Akim (governor) of the South Kazakhstan region Zhanseit Tuimebayev said: “Today, the South Kazakhstan Region is a dynamically developing region, with a powerful environmental potential. The geographical location of the region is export oriented.”
The governor added that the volume of the gross regional product had doubled over the past 5 years, the share of industry in the economy increased from 18% to 27%.
The participants of the forum noted that with its unique natural resources and original culture, SKR has great potential for the development of tourism at the international and regional level. In the first quarter of 2017, the South Kazakhstan region was visited by 52,850 tourists, compared to 33 thousand tourists in the same period last year.
During the forum investment projects, investment preferences and tourist products were presented and a number of documents were signed for cooperation with foreign investors.
