Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China: tourist arrivals from China doubled

An international forum on the Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China was held in Almaty, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Addressing those present Deputy Tourism and Sports Minister of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Yerkinbayev said that Almaty and Beijing are the most popular destinations.

He said this year tourism cooperation between Kazakhstan and China has significantly expanded. The tourist flow between the two countries grew proving that not only good neighborhood but also a common striving for mutual understanding and cultural exchange unite the two countries. According to the frontier service, the number of Kazakhstani tourists rose by 31%, while Chinese tourist arrivals doubled. For the past 10 months, 550,000 Chinese travelers visited Kazakhstan.

He added over 30 large events were held in China as part of the Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan, above 200 agreements were signed. Business and cultural missions contributed to the development of tourist and cultural exchange between the two countries, strengthening of Kazakhstan’s position as an attractive destination.

Tourism Days of Kazakhstan were held in Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Urumqi. Besides Kazakhstan attended four large travel exhibitions such as the COTTM, ITB China, and ITE Hong Kong. Large concerts and exhibitions of the artifacts of the National Museum were held in China’s two provinces.

As stated there, next year Kazakhstan will hold the Year of Tourism of China. Its goal is to strengthen understanding between the two nations and elevate cooperation to a new level.

The international forum drew the participation of 300 representatives of the tourism industry of China and Kazakhstan.