EXPERT OPINION
Investment attraction and travel industry
in Kazakhstan at EXPO-2017 period
Oxana Serebrennikova,
General director,
BCD Travel - International
Travel plus
In your opinion, what impact has the
EXPO in Kazakhstan had on event
tourism in our country?
I am very optimistic about the
development of tourism in Kazakhstan,
including event tourism. Amounts of public
and private investments in infrastructure
are very impressive: new hotels of well-
known global networks, restaurants,
conference platforms, and sports facilities
are being opened. In Astana, a new
airport terminal has been built, and it will
significantly improve the passenger service
quality and enable to welcome many more
guests. In addition, several airlines will
enter the Kazakhstan market in the coming
days.
During EXPO in Astana, an extensive
cultural program is planned with
participation of Kazakhstan and foreign
artists, including world stars. I do hope
that it will be a good start for developing
event tourism in Kazakhstan.
How much can the inflow of inbound
tourism increase in our country due to
the EXPO? Will it attract visitors on
a long-term basis, as a consequence
after this event?
We expect a fairly large number of
guests to the exhibition. First of all, these
would-be business tourists are coming to
participate in official visits to the EXPO.
This tourist segment is very active in terms
of movement and communications. So I
expect that our guests will appreciate the
opportunities of Kazakhstan as a direction
for business meetings and events, and that
they will share their impressions.
The geographical position of Kazakhstan
is perfect for creating an international
hub connecting different parts of our
52
world monitor
huge continent, because we are right
in the middle of Eurasia. In the world
tourism industry, Kazakhstan is a very new,
unexplored direction for tourist trips. To
accomplish this, the country combines the
important values of safety and comfort for
business travelers, a decent infrastructure
and wonderful natural and cultural
openings for new impressions.
Our company works actively to welcome
in Kazakhstan, organizing business
and incentive events for interna tional
corporations. When we started I was
very worried about how our guests would
perceive the country as a direction. I was
born in Kazakhstan, I live here, and it’s very
difficult for me to be objective about my
homeland. Of course, we make a real point
of showing the best sides of our country.
And today I can say with confidence that
our guests’ satisfaction is very high.
First of all, people note the incredible
nature; in Kazakhstan you can see the
boundless steppes, which are especially
beautiful in the spring when poppies and
tulips blooming. In summer, you can come
from the hot city to the glaciers and playing
with snowballs. During one day you can
see the crystal clear mountain lakes, rivers,
canyons, pine forests, and sand dunes.
Kazakhstan is also tasty. As Kazakhstan is
a multinational country with a wide range
of different cuisines – Asian, Caucasian,
European, etc. And we are proud of the
quality and variety of meat dishes, first
of all. We gladly organize gastronomic
events for our guests, with master classes
in cooking national dishes and barbeque.
It should be noted that in Kazakhstan,
high-class wine is produced from grapes
growing in mountain valleys.