Turkic states establish Union of Ski Resorts, Kazakhstan's Shymbulak among founders

On September 23, 2024, the Secretariat of the Organization of Turkic States in Istanbul hosted an inaugural meeting of the heads of Turkic Ski Resorts. A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of a memorandum of establishment of the Turkic Ski Resorts Union, Kazinform News Agency reports.

The newly created alliance consists of the representatives of the leading ski resorts: Rustam Najafov, Chairman of Shahdag Mountain Resort (Azerbaijan), Rinat Abdrakhmanov, Director General of Shymbulak Ski Resort (Kazakhstan), Rustam Raimjanov, Director General of Amirsoy Mountain Resort (Uzbekistan), and Burak Beceren, Authorized Representative of Uludag Ski Resort (Türkiye), according to the OTS official website.

The goal of the Union is to join efforts to develop alpine tourism, strengthen cooperation, exchange experience and create new opportunities for tourists.

The ski resorts which entered the Union attract more than five million guests annually which demonstrates the existing potential for tourism and partnership relations development.

The Union of Turkic Ski Resorts will work in the following areas:

- Development of comfortable tourist routes among the resorts

- Creation of a common timeline of events, exhibitions, and conferences.

- Organization of joint international sport events, aimed at popularization of winter sports.

- Cultural exchange through the organization of ethnic complexes and thematic events

- Attraction of other Turkic countries’ ski resorts to the Union.

“The signing of the memorandum is not just a historical moment for our resorts, but a symbol of unification of the Turkic countries’ efforts in the development of alpine skiing. We open a new page in the development of the industry which will contribute to strengthening friendly ties among our peoples,” Director General of the Shymbulak Ski Resort Rinat Abdrakhmanov says.