The Turkic Council for tourism will be launching a pilot program beginning in April 2017 alongside the tourist product “silk road”. The news according to the Director of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Investments and Development of Kazakhstan, was announced at a meeting of tourism ministers of “Silk Road” countries,
The Kazakstan minister, Marat Igaliyev told correspondents of MIA “Kazinform” at the meeting under the auspices of the world tourism organization (UNWTO:
“We discussed the issue of the opening of new tourist destinations of the silk road in the framework of the Turkic Council. The launch of a pilot project of the tourism branch through Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is scheduled for April 2017.”
Igaliyev went on to tell of the Kazakhstan leg of the 12 day journey, which starts in Almaty, and progresses through Shymbulak, Koktobe and Kolsay. According to the news, travelers will next travel to the ancient city of Turkestan, which in 2017 was recognized as the cultural capital of the Turkic world. Also according to foreign tourists can visit the Aulie – ATA (Dzhambul region) is a sacred place of establishment of the Kazakh khanate.
For those unfamiliar, the “New Silk Road” is an infrastructure project that will significantly accelerate the delivery of goods and services initiatives from China to Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. Beijing established a $40 billion Silk Road fund, as well as the $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) recently. Kazakhstan, the leading economic powerhouse in Central Asia, is a key player in the New Silk Road project.