Today, tourism is the most dynamically developing industry with a high potential for profitability and employment.
Thanks to the simplification of the visa regime, the holding of EXPO and Universiade, the creation of tourist infrastructure, new attraction facilities, international events, the promotion of the city in foreign countries, the number of tourists in the city is growing annually. So, only in 2018, the number of tourists to the city of Almaty showed an increase of 11.8% and for the first time amounted to 1.1 million tourists. This is a fifth of all visits to the country.
In order to create a comfortable urban environment for city residents and tourists, 60% of the historical center has been comprehensively modernized in 2 years under the City for People project. Sidewalks and green areas are expanding, and the quality of private service facilities is changing dramatically. Last year, a new building of the UN regional hub for agencies working in Almaty was opened.
The Baluan Sholak sports complex, transferred to communal ownership, is the only tourist hub in the country, where tourist operators, real estate agencies, a craft center, recreation areas for tourists, etc. are located. The above-mentioned work showed an increase in foreign tourists by 3.2%. In 2018, 365 thousand foreign tourists visited the city. This means that 44% of tourists visiting our country are in Almaty. It should be noted that most foreign tourists are interested in nomadic culture, the 1000-year history of Almaty. Therefore, within the framework of the Rukhani Zhangyru program, it is planned to build the Saka culture center “Boraldai Saka Mounds”, the Saka Kurgan and Rayymbek Batyr museums, the Ethnoland ethno-cultural complex on the territory of Kazakhfilm.
As part of event tourism, at least 50 such international events are held annually, such as the International Jazz Festival, Spirit of Tengri, Star of Asia, Orchestra Parade, Almaty Koktobe Opera, Apple Fest, Tour of Almaty, Almaty Maraphon, Almaty Mount Fest. To promote event tourism, a tourist event calendar has been developed, which reflects all the main events of the city that will take place before the end of 2019. The calendar is distributed in all our infotocs, in the media, social networks, and well-known international platforms.
