ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s state support measures for tourism sector entrepreneurs and the eQonaq information system presented by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports attracted significant interest among the participants of the Korea Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Tourism forum in South Korea, reported the ministry’s press service on April 7.
Dastan Ryspekov during the panel dicussion at 2023 KOPIST Forum. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports.
During a panel discussion at the forum, Dastan Ryspekov, chairman of the ministry’s Tourism Industry Committee, spoke about the main changes in the structure of the tourism market, the preferences of tourists, and the state support measures.
“Our colleagues from other countries showed high interest in our experience of state support for businesses in the tourism sector, particularly subsidies for tour operators, partial reimbursement for business expenses for constructing tourist facilities and purchasing equipment, and the eQonaq information system,” he said.
The eQonaq information system was launched in 2020 to record and analyze the flow of tourists and migration control.
Overall, there are seven state support measures in the tourism sector, including subsidizing the costs of tour operators for each foreign tourist, subsidizing the cost of children’s air tickets across Kazakhstan, partial reimbursement for businesses purchasing ski equipment and constructing tourist facilities, as well as subsidies for the maintenance of sanitary facilities.
The measures resulted in record growth in domestic tourism last year. The number of domestic tourists grew by 20 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching 8.6 million people.
The forum was organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization. Delegations from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Paraguay, and Laos participated in the forum
