ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 18. The imperative to establish a state-of-the-art maritime facility in Aktau has escalated, necessitating the enhancement of docking infrastructure to accommodate the operational requirements of passenger vessels, said the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at a meeting on the socio-economic development of the Mangystau region, Trend reports.
According to the president, last year, the Mangystau region welcomed a trickle of 43,000 foreign visitors, while the internal crowd swelled to a whopping 460,000.
“Last year, at a meeting on the development of tourism, I outlined promising directions for the industry. As for Aktau, it is a unique city in terms of transport, logistics, and tourism opportunities. We must effectively utilize this potential. Special attention should be given to marine tourism. The attractiveness of this segment is due to the proximity of ports in five countries and the potential to attract tourists from 10 large cities in Russia, Iran, and the Caucasus region. This is where the transit corridors of air communications intersect, such as those connecting cities like Istanbul, Antalya, London, Moscow, Astrakhan, Tbilisi, Baku, and others,” said President Tokayev.
As he noted, the total number of tourists in the Mangystau region has seen a remarkable uptick over the last three years, increasing by one and a half times. During the summer season, hotels are practically bursting at the seams, with more than 90 percent of rooms booked.
On his working trip to Mangystau today, the President of Kazakhstan also visited several key economic sites, including the Aktau International Sea Port, Yessenov Technopark, and the BS Arena sports complex, among others.