ASTANA – The National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana hosted a grand opening ceremony of the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan with the exhibition “Silk and the Silk Road: from China to Kazakhstan” on June 16, reported the Tourism Industry Committee.
Photo credit: Tourism Industry Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports
The event was attended by Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabossynov, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli, Kazakhstan National Museum Director Berik Abdigaliuly, China National Silk Museum Deputy Director Zhang Chengming, and other guests.
Kazakhstan and China are friendly countries with strong ties in all areas, Myrzabossynov noted, and relations between them are currently reaching a new level within the Belt and Road Initiative, while tourism serves as an important factor in bringing peoples closer together.
He proposed several initiatives to boost tourism collaboration, including the implementation of the Welcome Chinese program to better accommodate Chinese travelers, a unique border marathon blending tourism, sport and culture, and expanded academic exchange between tourism universities.
2024 was an important stage in the development of mutual tourism development. During the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, 37 events were held in the largest cities of China, which led to a multiple growth in tourist flow. Kazakhstan received 655,000 Chinese tourists last year, a 78% increase compared to 367,000 in 2023.
