Kazakhstan’s biggest city Almaty, formerly known as Alma-Ata, is making serious efforts to lure Indonesian tourists. Improved tourism infrastructure, enhanced connectivity and continuous tourism promotions, Almaty is confident will attract thousands of Indonesian tourists.

“We have direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to Almaty. It is easy to visit Almaty We have several exotic tourist destinations,” Akmaral Yechshanova, a representative from the Tourism Department of Almaty City, told The Jakarta Post recently during the Visit Almaty Conference in Jakarta.

Almaty, which is home to 2 million people, is the financial hub of Kazakhstan and can make one’s stay pleasant as it has forested streets, urban parks, nature preserves, a ski resort and vibrant nightlife.

“Almaty is located on the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains and is called a City of Parks. Indonesians will like it,” Kairat Malayev, the Kazakhstan Embassy’s chargé d’affaires, said while opening the conference.

“Both Indonesia and Kazakhstan are Muslim-majority countries. We have several places in Kazakhstan that are related to Islam. We have so many similarities. I am confident that Indonesian tourists will enjoy their stay in Almaty and other cities in Kazakhstan”.

One of the most interesting tourist attractions is Shymbulak ski resort, the most advanced ski resort in Central Asia. This resort is just a 30-minute drive from Almaty. The best season to visit is between December and April.

Another attraction is Charyn Canyon, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon and located 195 kilometers from the city. Ile-Alatau state national park, Kaindy Lake, Issyk Lake, Big Almaty Lake and the Russian Orthodox Church are some of the places worth seeing in Almaty.

Almaty itself has a 1,000-year history. The unique thing in Almaty is that one can witness the nomadic culture of Kazakh people.

The Almaty city administration, according to Akmaral, is also very active in organizing various festivals and international events to attract foreign tourists.

Say cheese! Kazakhstan Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Kairat Malyev (right) poses with (from left) Visit Almaty counselor Nygmet Zhunussov, president of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) N. Rusmiati and representative of the Tourism Department of Almaty City Akmaral Yechshanova during the Visit Almaty Conference in Jakarta recently. (JP/Veeramalla Anjaiah)

“Every year, we organize more than international events and festivals in Almaty. In July, we have Dombra Day, International Mountain Festival Week in August and Autumn Run in November,” Akmaral said.

Almaty is also well-known for various types of apples.

“Almaty is the City of Apple Trees,” Kairat said.

In fact, Almaty means “Father of Apples” in the Kazakh language. The present domestic apple is called Malus Sieversii, which grows in the wild abundantly in the Tian Shan mountains near Almaty.

As far as food is concerned, Almaty offers excellent Uighur, Russian and Ukrainian cuisine.

Recently, many Indonesians, especially religious pilgrims, have been showing interest in visiting Central Asian Muslim countries as part of their extended umrah minor pilgrimage.

Uzbekistan started a direct flight from Jakarta to its capital city Tashkent recently. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are neighboring countries.

With the increasing demand from Indonesian tourists, Indonesian tour operators wanted a direct flight from Jakarta to Almaty so that tourists could visit not only Kazakhstan but also other Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.