Representatives of Saudi Arabia’s media community highly appreciate the tourism potential of Kazakhstan

July 21, 2024, Jeddah – The Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a briefing on the promotion of tourism opportunities in Kazakhstan and the 5th World Nomad Games. The event was attended by representatives of Air Astana and SCAT Kazakh airlines, domestic tour operators, the Almaty Tourism Bureau, as well as representatives of the Jeddah journalistic community and the blogosphere, as well as the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC UNA).

In his welcoming speech, Ruslan Kospanov, Consul General noted that «Kazakhstan can offer almost all types of tourist services – from educational and entertainment tours to ethnic, recreational, business and eco-tourism». He emphasized that the upcoming 5th World Nomad Games, which will be held in Astana from September 8 to 13, 2024, gives a unique opportunity for Saudi tourists to immerse themselves in the rich traditions and vibrant energy of Kazakhstan and get acquainted with the nomadic culture of the peoples of Central Asia.

The journalists were informed about the measures taken by the Kazakh side to facilitate the visa regime with foreign countries. In particular, it was noted that citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have the opportunity to stay visa-free in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 30 days.

In addition, the Kazakh diplomat informed the guests of the event about the ongoing work on the implementation of the Neo Nomad visa, which is expected to provide foreign tourists with the opportunity to stay in Kazakhstan for a long time.

In this regard, the Consul General drew the attention of Saudi journalists to the fact that the total number of tourists from the Gulf countries who visited Kazakhstan in 2023 increased almost 2 times compared to 2022 - from 16.3 thousand to 29.6 thousand tourists.

Special attention was paid to the important role of the media in promoting cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations. In this context, Ruslan Kospanov invited journalists, bloggers and social media users to take an active part in the competition «Kazakhstan through the eyes of foreign media», held annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In their turn, representatives of Air Astana and SCAT shared their plans for the future to expand the geography of flights to the Kingdom and invited Saudi journalists to visit Kazakhstan.

The event was highly interactive, enabling representatives of the Jeddah journalism community to receive comprehensive first-hand information about the upcoming World Nomad Games. In addition to details about the Games, participants also gained insights into other topics of interest, such as tourism, hotel services, air travel, and more.

At the end of the briefing, the guests enthusiastically sampled a variety of dishes from the national Kazakh cuisine and received memorable gifts and souvenirs.