World Tourism Organization: How to ease travel to Kazakhstan
"Tourism is the future of Kazakhstan. For Kazakhstan, tourism is a very promising sector. What needs to be done in order to promote tourism? I would like to propose three main points that you should take into account," said Taleb Rifai.
First, the head of UNWTO believes that traveling to Kazakhstan should be faster, cheaper and easier. To this end, he proposed to facilitate Kazakhstan visa issuance procedure for foreigners. "We do not ask you to remove the visa requirement, you just need to make the issuance friendlier and simpler. We are 100 per cent behind the electronic visa concept when people can apply for a visa online, because they do not want to stand in lines at the embassy or consulate and wait a few days for the answer. Electronic visa application is more secure and convenient. It is exactly the same as booking an electronic ticket. You should see into this matter. Security and ease of travel do not traverse each other but go hand-in-hand," the UNWTO Secretary-General noted.
In addition, he recommended the Government to maximize its airspace by increasing the number of foreign flights. "Of course, it's impossible to open all air communications overnight. Take time, two or three years, and make the air communications open," the head of UNWTO highlighted .
Secondly, as Taleb Rifai said, the world does not know enough about Kazakhstan, so the republic should not be afraid to invest in a positive image in the world. "You should invest in promoting tourism and marketing. You have already invested heavily in the infrastructure - airports and roads. However, now you need to invest in strengthening Kazakhstan's image, branding," he said.
Taleb Rifai believes that the third pillar of Kazakhstan's tourism strategy should be personnel training. "You just need to provide some courses, ensuring the right education and appropriate policies," he explained.
"We are very much interested and determined to support Kazakhstan and make this country the best tourist destination in the world. There is no reason to believe that Kazakhstan will not become a star of the international tourism," Taleb Rifai said.
As for Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Bakytzhan Sagintayev, he noted that "the fact that the UNWTO Secretary-General believes tourism can develop in Kazakhstan is inspiring.".