Look Into M'sia-Kazakhstan Connectivity, Urges M'sian Tourism Minister

From Santhia Thevi Panjanadan ASTANA (Kazakhstan), May 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Kazakhstan should look into connectivity as the most important factor to further spur tourism between both nations, given the increasing number of Kazakh tourists visiting Malaysia, says Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen. Malaysia is optimistic of receiving 25,000 Kazakh tourists this year, up from 17,000 in 2011, with the upcoming Malaysian tourism office in the Republic soon and joint technical training programmes, she told Bernama. In 2010, only 10,000 Kazakh tourists visited Malaysia. "The numbers show very good improvement and we hope to attract more tourists this year. "We need connectivity to enhance bilateral tourism development and I’m sure if there are flights every day, we can achieve the numbers quickly," she said after a 40-minute closed-door meeting with Kazakhstan Industry and New Technology Minister Asset Isekeshev on bilateral cooperation in tourism development at the three-day Fifth Astana Economic Forum (AEF) from May 22 to May 23, Thursday. The AEF, an annual meeting of world economists, academics, business leaders and government ministers, officially opened Thursday with participants from 85 countries including Malaysian delegates led by the Tourism Minister. The opening ceremony was graced by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. On the new tourism office to be set up in Almaty, Kazakhstan which was among the issues discussed, Ng said the tourism office has to be set up very quickly to look after Central Asia, the emerging strong market, and Malaysia is seeking support from the Republic’s government for this purpose, particularly on licensing. "With the tourism office here, we can get our promotions out very quickly. "We need Kazakah people to come to Malaysia to understand more about Malaysia, so they can talk more about us. So we offer training for Kazakhs in the tourism industry," she added. Another topic discussed was the need for more investment to set up hotels in both countries, she said. "They are looking at opening ski resorts, theme parks in a big way as well as having more hotels, and likewise it will be good to have some Kazakhstan hotels in Malaysia to create a more accommodative environment," the minister explained. Moreover, Ng said, with no charge for a visa for Kazakh nationals visiting Malaysia, accessibility is easy. -- BERNAMA