On December 13, 2022, on the eve of the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia and the Almaty Tourism Department hosted a Roadshow entitled “Days of Tourism of Almaty” in Riyadh, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
The event was attended by H.E. Mr. Berik Aryn, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia, Ms. Sabina Amankeldy, the Head of the Department of Tourism of Almaty city, as well as heads and representatives of Kazakh travel companies such as SkyWay, Tumar-Trans, Complete Service and Almaty Luxury Travel.
The Saudi side was represented by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Investment, the Tourism Committee of the Riyadh Chamber, as well as more than 120 heads and representatives of various Saudi and Arab tour operators and airlines, including such prominent companies as Seera Group, FlyNas, Air Arabia, Shomukh Aviation, Almosafer, Ajwaad Group, Saudi International Travel, Al Sarh, Arjaa, Al Fursan, Star Traveler Agency, etc.
In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Berik Aryn noted the positive dynamics in developing cooperation between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia in the tourism field. In particular, Ambassador Berik Aryn pointed out that the measures taken by the governments of the two countries, such as visa regime relaxation, launching direct flights, increasing the number of permitted flights to 14 flights per week, and others, which made it possible to make Kazakhstan a new tourist destination for Saudi citizens.
The Kazakh diplomat also stressed that these steps create favorable conditions for increasing tourist flow and building up trade and economic cooperation, exchanging visits, attracting mutual investments, and expanding the political dialogue between the two states.
Ms. Sabina Amankeldy, in turn, briefed on the tourist potential of Almaty city and the ongoing work to create conditions and attract foreign tourists. In this context, she noted that this year there is a record increase in Saudi tourists who visited Almaty, which increased by 70 times compared to last year – up to 4.5 thousand people.
Besides, the Kazakh travel companies made presentations on their activities. They offered unique travel packages for citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia, as well as demonstrated promotional videos with natural landscapes and sights of Almaty city.
In addition, representatives of the leading Saudi low-cost airline Flynas informed about their activities and announced the launch of direct regular flights between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Following the Roadshow, the parties organized B2B Networking, where Kazakh and Saudi tour operators and airlines held practical meetings.
It is worth mentioning that the highlight of the evening was the concert of the “Arkaiym” Folk Group, which presented to the public multi-instrumental Kazakh ethnic music and throat singing in the style of Neo-Ethno-Folk.
The special admiration of the guests was also driven by the enchanting show of the virtuoso of bar art Alibek Jaibergenov, one of the Top 10 best bartenders in the world, who demonstrated with his Flair Bartending skills the preparation of various cocktails from the traditional Kazakh drink “Shubat.”
Moreover, the Kazakh side organized an ethnographic exhibition on the sidelines of the Roadshow with a demonstration of national products of applied art of nomads, which allowed guests to immerse themselves in the culture of the Kazakh people and taste the dishes of the national cuisine.
At the end of the “Almaty Tourism Days” evening, the guests participated in the Raffle Drawing, where the winners received prizes such as free air tickets to Kazakhstan, accommodation in the best hotels in Almaty, and other valuable certificates.
In general, the Saudi participants highly appreciated the organization of the tourism Roadshow, where they got essential information about Kazakhstan and its tourism opportunities. In this regard, Saudi travel companies expressed their readiness to establish partnerships with Kazakh tour operators and continue to work to promote Kazakhstan tourism in Saudi Arabia.
The guests were also delighted with the national costumes and the abundance of Kazakh cuisine, culture, and creativity. According to several participants, this event was one of the best tourism roadshows held in Saudi Arabia.
