On April 25, country and regional managers from Kazakh airline ‘Air Astana’ convened for a partner meeting at the Kazakhstan International Tourism and Travel Exhibition (KITF) in Almaty. The agenda included discussions on updates in tourist exchanges and strategies to enhance cooperation between countries.
The Air Astana Group holds the title of the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus, serving more than 94 routes spanning 21 countries. “The increase in tourists from China visiting Kazakhstan isn’t just because of the visa-free regime but also because we’re close neighbors,” said Wang Shu, Country Manager China at Air Astana.
According to the electronic system “eQonaq,” in 2023, more than 103,000 Chinese citizens visited Kazakhstan, marking a growth of 104 percent compared to 2022. At the same time, the number of Kazakhstanis who visited China from January to September 2023 exceeded 200,000 people.
Kazakhstan introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of India, Iran, and China in 2022. According to Kazakhstan’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Ermek Marzhikpaev, after the introduction of a 14-day visa-free regime, there has been a threefold increase in visitors from India: from 28,000 people in 2022 to 78,000 people in 2023.
“Almaty (Kazakhstan’s largest city) captivates Indian tourists with its perfect mix of urban living and impressive natural scenery,” said Serik Rys-Uly, Senior Regional Manager India and Subcontinent. “We need to enhance convenience for our guests, particularly by providing more in-depth information about tourism in Kazakhstan and increasing the number of hotels,” added Rys-Uly.
During South Asia’s largest international tourism exhibition, SATTE, on February 22, 2024 in New Delhi, Kazakh Tourism national company inaugurated its first international office in India, as reported by the company’s press service.
Air Astana country managers shared the same sentiment, emphasizing the necessity to expand tourism infrastructure in response to the growing number of tourists.
