On March 29, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year was held in Beijing. During the Tourism Year, China and Kazakhstan will organize a number of excellent events throughout the year, including cultural performances, tourism forums and so on.

Kazakhstan is rich in tourism resources, with 14 national parks spread across its territory, covering such diverse landscapes as mountains, forests, glaciers, deserts and lakes. Tourist resorts such as the Jumbulak Alpine Ski Resort, Kaindy Lake, Charyn Canyon, the Kulgarkin Nature Reserve, and the Burabai National Nature Park attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year. The Government of Kazakhstan has proposed a plan to increase the number of domestic tourists to 11 million by 2030, the number of foreign tourists to 4 million, and the number of people employed in the tourism industry to 800,000 people. In order to further enhance the country's tourism image, the government of Kazakhstan has continued to introduce policies and measures to improve the tourism environment, promote the renewal of tourism infrastructure and create more convenient travel conditions for foreign tourists.

Kazakhstan's Minister of Tourism and Sports Marzhekhpayev said China is one of Kazakhstan's priority tourism markets and partners, thanks to the two countries' geographic location and deep historical ties with each other. Kazakhstan will utilize its rich nomadic culture, centuries-old history and unique natural landscape to attract more Chinese tourists. According to reports, during this year's "Kazakhstan Tourism Year" in China, the Kazakh side will hold the "Ethnic Village" exhibition, showcasing Kazakh national costumes, cuisine, history, customs, etc., and plans to hold a crafts expo, food festivals and other cultural activities, inviting China's well-known travel bloggers and other travelers to travel to Kazakhstan, and inviting China's famous travel bloggers to travel to Kazakhstan. We also plan to organize cultural activities such as handicraft fairs and food festivals, and invite famous Chinese travel bloggers to travel to Kazakhstan to promote Kazakhstan's tourism characteristics.

 In recent years, tourism cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has been deepening. In November 2017, the China Tourism Office in Astana was officially established, becoming the first tourism office set up by China in a Central Asian country and playing an active role in promoting cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries. In November 2023, China and Kazakhstan realized mutual visa-free policy, which further stimulated the travel demand of tourists from both countries.

Marzhekhpayev said that China's "Kazakhstan Tourism Year" is a landmark event that will help consolidate friendly relations between the two countries. "We are confident that the dialogue between the two sides will inject new energy into the partnership in the field of tourism, open up new prospects and lay the foundation for fruitful long-term cooperation."

More Chinese tourists are expected to choose to travel to Kazakhstan in 2024, which will help drive the development of local tourism and promote the modernization and upgrading of roads, hotels, restaurants and other supporting infrastructure, said Kairat Batlbayev, executive director of the Eurasian Association for International Studies in Kazakhstan. Chinese tourists have an in-depth understanding of Kazakhstan's culture, customs and cuisine, which will help further deepen humanistic exchanges between the two countries.