National Geographic Sets Out To Explore & Create New Tourism Routes Inside Kazakhstan

A team of travelers, guides, bloggers, tour operators and representatives from National Geographic Russia have set off on a three-month expedition to create new tourist routes within Kazakhstan.

Initiated by the country’s Ministry of Culture and Sports and implemented by the government-backed agency Kazakh Tourism, the initiative, which began this week, will have researchers explore, document and plan on how to develop tourism within the vast regions and various geographical areas of what is Central Asia’s largest country.

“We want to show that it is not necessary to go somewhere abroad to experience new sensations and discoveries, because the most interesting [things] involved in the history of our country are here, in Kazakhstan,” Sandugash Rakhimzhanova, who heads Kazakh TV, said on July 17 during a press conference, according to Kazakhstanskaya Pravda.

Located in both the Caspian and Central Asia regions, Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth largest country in terms of land mass and consists of various kinds of natural landscapes – from large, sunny steppes, to mountain ranges and lakes.

The expedition that was launched on Wednesday brings together 140 participants from around the world and will last until September 26 as professionals cross the country’s six tourist ‘cluster’ areas created by the central government in Astana.

Every two weeks, a group of travelers will visit unique places, including natural and historical sites. A group of 25 people have already left for the first route, dubbed “The Pearl of the Tien Shan,” which features the northern and central part of the Tien Shan mountain range located in Central Asia. The travelers will also explore the Bayankol River, from where the highest peak of Kazakhstan, the Khan-Tengri, can be seen.

Fatima Ahmadi, a traveler from Kuwait, has been to more than 100 countries. Now, she is one of those taking part in the first expedition.

“Now I am in Kazakhstan, and I want to show people how diverse this country is. Everything starting from the urban landscapes and ending with the wild nature impresses me,” she told Khabar24 prior the expedition.

The project features expeditions along the Eastern Kazakhstan region, called “Altay, a cradle of civilization,” the Dzungarian Alatau located in southeastern Almaty region, as well as “Saryarka,” which covers the regions of Akmola, Pavlodar, Karaganda and Kostanay. The last two routes are known as “From Sea to Sea” and “The New Silk Road” and cover regions of Kyzylorda, Aktyubinsk, Mangystau, Turkestan, Zhambyl and Almaty.

Following the expedition, the organizers will create a high-quality media bank featuring natural sites of Kazakhstan, as well as illustrated guides containing information gathered over the course of the expedition.

Officials from Kazakh Tourism say the project will stimulate domestic interest in traveling within the country. Earlier this year, Kazakh Tourism, Kazakhstan’s national rail operator TemirZholy and Khabar24, launched a campaign aimed at encouraging Kazakhstanis to travel inland.

"We see that Kazakhstanis are showing increasing interest in traveling inside the country,” Rashid Kuzembayev, the head of the company said according to AkiPress. “The nature of our country is amazing - there are mountains, steppe open spaces, forests, lakes and rivers.”

According to Kazakhstan’s statistics agency, the number of domestic tourists exceeded 5.5 million in 2017, showing an increase of more than 20 percent compared to the previous year.