ASTANA.  January 19. KAZINFORM  /Serik Sabekov/ The potential of development of Kazakhstan as a tourist center has not been fully used yet, Prime Minister Karim Massimov said addressing the participants of the enlarged meeting of the board of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport in Astana Tuesday.

"Despite the crisis, the state has provided significant funds for tourism development. However, there are still unsolved problems. To my mind, the potential of development of Kazakhstan as a tourist center has not been fully used yet", he noted.

Alongside the PM stressed the authorities should not hope for budgetary funds only. New sources of financing must be searched for, he said.

"The budgetary funds must be spent primarily for infrastructure development, construction of roads and electricity laying", K. Massimov clarified.  "You must attract both budgetary funds and investors in order to build new tourist facilities", he added.