Almaty has huge potential in terms of tourism - Baibek

While addressing participants of his meeting with the public, mayor Baibek stressed the role tourism plays in the city's economy. "The city is situated in a unique place. Recently I've met tourists from Dubai who claim it is more comfortable to travel to Almaty and hit the Shymbulak slopes here, then, to travel to Europe. It takes them less than seven hours to get to Almaty. We should use our potential in that respect," he noted.
Mr. Baibek pointed out that the upcoming 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty offers unique opportunities to promote the city in the world. "Nearly one billion people will follow the Universiade events and we must show them our modern city, make them want to come here. The city boasts huge potential to develop mountain skiing, ecological and business tourism," he added.
It is important to emphasize that Almaty is the most frequently visited city in Kazakhstan. Over 216,000 tourists visited Almaty over nine months of 2015.