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Kazakhstan's Tourism Boom: Foreign Visitors Increasing

Increasing Tourist Interest in Kazakhstan Last year, Kazakhstan hosted 9.2 million foreign tourists, with significant interest from countries such as India, Germany, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Tourist Data The Kazakhstan Ministry of Tourism and Sports shared foreign tourist data for 2023, noting that the ease of visa-free travel has boosted interest in the country. Boom in Chinese Tourists Thanks to a visa-free travel agreement between the country and the Chinese government, the number of Chinese visitors surged from 18,000 in 2022 to 370,000 in 2023. Additionally, the number of direct flights between the two countries has increased to 44 per week. Contributions from Other Countries Kazakhstan was visited by 78,000 tourists from India, 85,000 from Germany, and 36,600 from South Korea. The country also welcomed 10,500 tourists from the United Arab Emirates. Visitors from Neighboring Countries Uzbekistan was the leading neighboring country with 3.6 million Uzbek citizens traveling to Kazakhstan in 2023. Other visitor numbers included 2 million from Russia, 1.6 million from Kyrgyzstan, and 700,000 from Tajikistan. As of 2023, Kazakhstan successfully hosted a total of 9.2 million foreign tourists.

Visa Exemption for 6 Countries from China

China will provide unilateral visa exemption for Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The Consular Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that citizens of Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg can travel to China visa-free for 15 days from March 14 to November 30. It was stated that the visa exemption will be limited to purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, and transit. The visa exemption arrangements for different countries aim to increase travel from abroad to China.

China's New Year tourism revenues surpassed pre-pandemic levels

According to data released by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday, during the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday, there were approximately 474 million domestic trips, marking a 34.3% increase compared to the previous year. The data also indicated that tourists spent around 632.7 billion yuan (87.95 billion dollars) on domestic holiday trips, reflecting a yearly increase of 47.3%. Both measurements were above the levels of 2019. According to the National Immigration Administration, China witnessed approximately 13.52 million inbound and outbound journeys during the holiday period, marking a 2.8-fold increase compared to the same holiday period last year. Total entry-exit travels during the holiday returned to 90% of the 2019 levels.

USA and China contribute to Turkey's target of achieving $100 billion in tourism revenue by 2028

During the "2023 Tourism Data Evaluation Meeting" held at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy stated that despite the "disaster of the century," referring to the earthquakes on February 6 and the Palestine-Israel war, Turkey's tourism continued to grow without slowing down. Ersoy said, "Turkey, which managed a very successful process during the pandemic, achieved a 'record' income of $46.5 billion. In terms of the number of visitors, we rose from sixth place before the pandemic to fourth place afterward. This year, the number of tourists reached 56.7 million. We aim to set new records in 2024. We target 60 million visitors and $60 billion in revenue in 2024. With this goal, we plan to exceed the revenue target of $59.6 billion set in the Medium-Term Program." The number of overnight stays by tourists in Turkey decreased from 10.3 million in 2021 to 9.8 million and 9.7 million in the following two years. However, the per capita nightly spending increased from $88 in 2021 to $99 and $106 in the subsequent years. The per capita nightly spending was $65 before the pandemic in 2017. According to TUIK data, approximately 18% of the 56.7 million visitors to Turkey came from Germany. Among the 10.3 million visitors from Germany, there were also expatriates. Germany was followed by Russia with 6.3 million visitors, the United Kingdom with 4.2 million, Bulgaria with 2.9 million, and Iran with 2.5 million. In the last five years, the highest increase in visitors came from the United States. In 2019, 628,000 tourists visited Turkey from the United States, and by 2023, this number doubled, exceeding 1.35 million. The most significant loss occurred in the People's Republic of China market. While Turkey attracted 475,000 tourists from China in 2019, this number dropped to 234,000 in 2023. Target Markets: USA, Canada, and China Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy emphasized that the USA and China are target markets for Turkey. Ersoy said, "We will increase our focus on new markets. There is the Scandinavian market. This year, we aim for growth of 23% in the Swedish market and 15% in the Finnish market. The two main new destinations are North America. We aim for a 31% growth in the US market and a 41% growth in the Canadian market. We expect a 102% growth in China." The number of tourists from Canada, described as another target market by the Tourism Minister, increased from 53,000 in 2020 to 255,000 last year. Mehmet Şimşek: "Our goal is $100 billion in tourism revenue by 2028" Hazine ve Maliye Bakanı (Minister of Treasury and Finance) Mehmet Şimşek, who guides the government's economic policies, is also pleased with the developments in tourism. Şimşek, who shared a post on social media today, stated that Turkey had demonstrated the best performance ever in tourism in 2023. The Minister of Treasury and Finance said, "The number of people visiting our country reached 57.1 million with an annual increase of 11.1%, exceeding the year-end target (56.7 million). Tourism revenue reached $54.3 billion. According to the Medium-Term Program, with the continuation of the strong trend in tourism this year, we expect the number of visitors to reach 59.4 million and tourism revenue to increase to $59.6 billion. Our target for 2028 is to reach 82.3 million visitors and $100 billion in tourism revenue." Bahattin Yücel: "Foreign visitor numbers are inflated" Former Minister of Tourism Bahattin Yücel says that Turkey counts all visitors, regardless of whether they stay overnight or are transit passengers, as tourists. Yücel, speaking to VOA Turkish, said, "After the Ukraine war, it became difficult for Russians to travel abroad. A large Russian population sees Turkey as a corridor to the West. They come and go. In addition, expatriates in European countries are included in this total. We also need to look at daily visitors. Bulgaria had 2.9 million tourists. Likewise, 1.6 million from Georgia. How many of them participated in tourism activities in Turkey? How many nights did they stay? Edirne and Artvin became day-trip tourist destinations. In my opinion, the number of foreign visitors is being shown high for a reason." "A $100 billion tourism target is not realistic" Bahattin Yücel, who does not find the $100 billion tourism target realistic for 2028, describes the world's economic problems and the political and military problems in the Middle East as serious obstacles ahead of Turkey. Yücel said, "Firstly, the European market is shrinking. There is a serious expectation of an economic crisis in European countries, which are Turkey's main tourism market. Because, remember, tourists coming to us are middle and lower-income groups from Europe, and economic problems primarily affect them. Moreover, when tourists come to a country, they first look at freedoms. Then the security situation is important. And of course, justice in accordance with international norms. Turkey has a path to take in these matters. Of course, targets are set, but achieving them does not seem easy."

China's electric plane met the sky

The domestically produced electric aircraft of China completed its first flight at an airport located in the eastern Zhejiang province of the country. According to a report from the Science and Technology Daily newspaper published in China on Friday, the AG60E model aircraft developed by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. is an electrically modified version of the AG60, a fully metal, side-by-side two-seater, single-engine sports aircraft that made its first flight in 2020. According to the developer company, the total length of the AG60E is 6.9 meters, the wingspan is 8.6 meters, and the maximum cruising speed is designed to be 185 kilometers per hour. The aircraft manufacturer stated that the project of converting the existing fixed-wing aircraft into an electric one is a beneficial initiative, contributing to the emerging industry of low-altitude economy, which holds strategic importance.

Approval was given for the flying taxi

China has approved the world's first flying taxi, which is expected to revolutionize urban air transportation. The EH216 drone taxi, produced by the company EHang, consists of sixteen propellers surrounding a cabin that can accommodate two people. Since the flying vehicle is fully autonomous, there is no need for a pilot to operate the vehicle. The flying taxi has obtained an approval certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China proving its safety and navigability. This approval paves the way for flying taxis to be operated commercially in the country. EHang Chairman of the Board Hu Huazhi said that they carried out 40 thousand test flights with the flying vehicle and ensured maximum safety. Hu said, “In this context, the important thing is to guarantee the safety of flying vehicles. Even if there is a faulty or defective part, these drones can always fly normally and land safely.” Commercial operation of flying taxis is expected to be launched in the short term. This will be a global first for EHang, which was founded in 2014, and will position it as one of the world leaders in urban air transportation.

Domestic tourism remains at low in China during National Day Week

According to the statement made by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of China, during the 8-day holiday covering September 29-October 6, 826 million people traveled within the country and the total income from domestic tourism increased to 753.4 billion yuan ($103 billion). During the first National Day Week holiday after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted at the end of last year, the number of tourists increased by 4.1 percent compared to 2019, and domestic tourism revenues increased by 1.5 percent, reaching pre-pandemic levels. While the number of tourists increased by 71 percent compared to 2022, when travel restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 epidemic, a 130 percent increase in tourism revenues was recorded. Despite the increase in revenues, the amount of expenditure per tourist remained 2 percent below 2019. This year, during the Spring Festival holiday on January 21-27, the first holiday period after Covid-19, the number of tourists reached 73.1 percent of the 2019 level before the epidemic, and tourism revenues reached 88.6 percent. During the May 1 Labor Day holiday between April 29 and May 3, the number of tourists increased by 19 percent and tourism revenues increased by 0.7 percent compared to 2019. The Covid-19 epidemic had dealt a blow to tourism Quarantine and travel restrictions imposed in China in 2022 due to epidemics triggered by Omicron cases in many cities across the country had a negative impact on domestic tourism during holiday periods. While travel restrictions were imposed in many cities, including the country's largest cities, Shanghai, Beijing, Xinjiang and Guangzhou, during holiday periods due to outbreaks caused by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, citizens were advised not to "go out of town".

China's Xinjiang region hosted 182 million tourists

A total of 182 million tourists were hosted in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the 8 months of this year, and this number increased by 52.42 percent compared to the same period last year. According to information obtained from the region's culture and tourism department, tourism income from January to August reached 189 billion 688 million yuan, an increase of 111.42 percent on an annual basis. This year, tourist products are constantly being developed to attract tourists across Xinjiang. It was learned that during the winter, snow and ice season, S-level ski resorts in Xinjiang hosted a total of 2 million 72 thousand tourists and a tourism income of 229 million yuan was obtained. Entertainment programs specific to different regions are offered in rural areas of Xinjiang. Itineraries of "lavender base", "sea of rapeseed" and "sweet journey with melon" have attracted countless tourists. Events such as dance festival, culture and arts festival, intangible cultural heritage exhibition, and outdoor music festival brought the colorful cultures of Xinjiang to visitors.

China Tourism Industry Expo Kicked Off in Tianjin

The 13th China Tourism Industry Fair, which started today in Tianjiin, China and will continue for 3 days, aims to showcase the latest applications of digital services and smart tourism equipment, and present the comprehensive achievements in the development of smart tourism and the latest technologies. Held annually in Tianjin since 2009, the fair has become a platform for exhibitions, business negotiations and trade in the tourism industry, promoting trade and cooperation between the domestic and foreign tourism industry.