Sustainable development of tourism in Kazakhstan

Conference on sustainable tourism development in Kazakhstan

The Secretariat for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) spoke about the SDG objectives and indicators affecting the development of the tourism sector 

Prospects for the development of sustainable tourism in Kazakhstan were discussed at the conferenc.organized as the part of the EU-funded project “Implementing SCP Practice and Sustainable Development Schemes in MSMEs in the Tourism Sector in Kazakhstan” (SUSTOUKA).

Conference on the development of sustainable tourism in Kazakhstan: Dialogue with government agencies was held on July 15 this year in Almaty city.

The conference participants considered aspects of national legislation on sustainable tourism and exchanged experience and knowledge in the field of implementation of sustainable consumption and production practices in the tourism sector.

Key discussion points:

• How to implement sustainable policies?
• What are the potential benefits of sustainable tourism?
• National and foreign experts shared their experience and presented successful cases.

D irector of the Secretariat of Economic Research Institute JSC (ERI) Bakytgul Hambar participated in the event.

Bakytgul Hambar spoke about the institutional foundations of nationalization and localization of SDGs in Kazakhstan . Her presentation included information on the concept of the SDGs, how they are being implemented in the state, and what is the structure for coordinating their implementation.

“About 79% of the SDG objectives are reflected in the documents of the state planning system of Kazakhstan,” the speaker emphasized.

The speaker listed the factors that contribute to increasing the contribution of tourism to achieve the SDGs in the state and spoke about the SDG objectives and indicators that directly or indirectly affect the sustainable development of the tourism sector .

In particular, she spoke about the objectives of ensuring the development and implementation of promotion strategies and the development and implementation of tools to monitor the impact on sustainable tourism that contributes to job creation, local culture and local production.

Director of the Kazakhstan Tourism Association (KTA) Rashida Shaikenova, Chairman of the Board of NC Kazakh Tourism JSC Yerzhan Yerkinbaev, Head for Cooperation of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Kazakhstan Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Director of the Secretariat for SDGs of Economic Research Institute JSC Bakytgul Hambar, UNDP project expert on Forest Ecosystems conservation Akmaral Agazhayeva, R&D Project Manager in ECOTECH Pello Alfonso Muniozguren spoke at the conference.

“Ensuring sustainable development of tourism in Kazakhstan is closely related to the search for optimal ways to use its potential resources, namely natural and climatic resources, the number of qualified personnel, the quality of their training, the amount and quality of the necessary information, the level of technical equipment. The establishment of a tourist product is an integral part of the state's economic potential and has a direct impact on the development of the national economy and ensuring its sustainable growth, " said Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, Chairman of the Board of NC Kazakh Tourism JSC .

The speaker noted that last year Kazakhstan was recognized as one of the best countries for ecological travel according to Lonely Planet in the nomination "Best Accommodation for Tourists".

The head of "Kazakh Tourism" also spoke about the ongoing work on the development of the tourism industry in Kazakhstan, including pilot projects for the arrangement of national parks (eco-hotels, visiting centers), the adoption of a new Environmental Code, improvement of the safety of tourist services (marking of paths, an emergency call system EVAC TOURIST and other projects).

Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Head for Cooperation of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of an open dialogue between all concerned parties from the state to the private sector in order to develop the right set of government policy measures and business incentives for the formation of sustainable tourism, with the creation of new jobs and better conditions life of local communities.

Akmaral Agazhayeva, UNDP project expert on Forest Ecosystems conservation, spoke about the activities of UNDP projects in the field of ecotourism and how to implement a sustainable policy in the tourism sector and its potential benefits in the medium and long term.

Pello Alfonso Muniozguren, R&D Project Manager in ECOTEC, presented the project “Implementation of SCP practices and sustainable development schemes in MSMEs in the tourism sector in Kazakhstan” (SUSTOUKA), which is aimed at accelerating Kazakhstan's transition to the inclusive green economy by increasing its sustainability and competitiveness.

Rashida Shaikenova, Director of the Kazakhstan Tourism Association (KTA), spoke about case studies and planned sustainable policy initiatives in Kazakhstan.