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The number of domestic tourists reached 3 million in the first half of the year

By QazMonitor

In celebration of World Tourism Day on September 27, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports shared the key figures on the attracted investments and implemented projects, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry’s press service.

From 2020 to 2022, Kazakhstan's tourism industry attracted $4 billion in investments . Last year alone, investments reached 513.3 billion tenge, and over 400 tourism-related facilities were built. In 2023, 115 investment projects worth 288 billion tenge are planned, which will create lodgings for 14,000 travelers and more than 1,500 permanent jobs.

In the first half of 2023, tax revenue from tourism totaled approximately 208 billion tenge, a 10.4% increase period-over-period compared to 2022.

Hotels in Kazakhstan achieved a revenue of 98.7 billion tenge in 1H 2023, reflecting a 45% growth period-over-period. The number of domestic tourists using accommodation services in January-July of this year reached 3.1 million people, marking an increase of 400,000 compared to the same period in 2022.

The number of foreign tourists staying in the country's accommodation facilities in the first half of this year reached 516,000, signifying a 1.8-fold PoP increase. On average, one international guest contributes $1,500 to Kazakhstan's economy.

Kazakhstan offers seven measures of government support for entrepreneurs in tourism: subsidizing the costs of tour operators for each foreign tourist, subsidizing the cost of air tickets to Kazakhstan for children (Kids Go Free program), reimbursement to entrepreneurs for part of the cost of purchasing ski equipment and vehicles (25%), construction of roadside service facilities, construction and renovation of tourist facilities (10%), and subsidies for the maintenance of sanitary and hygienic facilities (83,300 tenge per month).

As part of these measures, local administrations have approved 29 applications for partial reimbursement of costs totaling 480 million tenge. A cashback mechanism for tourists is also being developed, enabling Kazakhstan citizens to receive partial refunds for domestic travel .

Currently, Kazakhstan has 428 licenses to engage in tour operator activities. There are 35 licenses for outbound tourism, 34 in the sphere of domestic, inbound and outbound tourism, and 359 licenses in the sphere of domestic and inbound tourism.

Moreover, training new personnel for the industry is underway. The first batch of students of the International University of Tourism and Hospitality in Turkistan is set to graduate at the end of this academic year.

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31 October 2023, 12:14

Roadmaps for TOP-20 priority tourist territories development to be approved in Kazakhstan

According to the Minister of Tourism and Sports Ermek Marzhikpaev, at the end of the first half of the year, more than 3 million Kazakhstanis traveled within the country by 400 thousand more than in the same period last year. According to forecasts, by the end of the year the number of domestic tourists will reach 9 million people. There is also a twofold increase in foreign tourists: more than 500 thousand people at the end of 6 months. It is expected that by the end of the year the figure will reach 1.4 million tourists.

With the growth in the number of tourists, the income of entrepreneurs in the tourism sector has also increased. For the first half of the year, places of accommodation for travelers and holidaymakers earned about 100 billion tenge, which is 30 billion tenge more compared to the same period last year.

At the same time for 9 months of the current year in the tourism sector managed to attract 404.8 billion tenge of investment growth of 44%. In the context of regions on this indicator are leading North-Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Aktobe and Almaty regions.

In parallel, work continues on the development of tourism infrastructure, expansion of the "Kids go free" program, promotion of the republic's tourist image at the international level, digitalization of the industry, etc. 

On the development of skiing and eco-tourism in Almaty region, promotion of historical and cultural heritage of Abai region and attracting tourists to Bayanaul resort area of Pavlodar region reported Akims of the regions Marat Sultangaziev, Nurlan Urankhaev and Asain Bayhanov.

Representative of tourism business Alexander Guzhavin also spoke at the meeting.

Alikhan Smailov noted that in accordance with the instructions of the Head of State in the issue of diversification of the economy, the Government should pay significant attention to the development of tourism potential of the republic.

"We need new breakthrough projects in the sphere of tourism. Over the past 3 years the industry has attracted investments of $4 billion. More than 400 facilities have been built and about 7 thousand permanent jobs have been created," he said. 

Prime Minister added that hotels of more than 20 well-known international chains have been opened in Kazakhstan and this factor serves to attract foreign tourists. In addition, only for the last 3 years there has been a continuous growth of ecotourists in national parks.

"Since last year, state support measures have covered projects for the construction of tourism facilities, the development of ski resorts and the purchase of tourist buses. Children's air tickets for citizens of Kazakhstan traveling within the country are subsidized. Tour operators receive subsidies for attracting foreign tourists," Alikhan Smailov said. 

In general, citizens of 80 countries can stay in Kazakhstan without a visa. Foreigners from 109 countries have the opportunity to get an electronic visa. Along with this, the geography of international air services is expanding.

"Today, priority tourist territories in Kazakhstan have been identified. The "anchor" projects will be realized there. Moreover, I believe that given the great potential of the tourism industry in our country, every region should be involved," the Prime Minister said.

According to him, in this regard, the TOP of tourist destinations should be expanded and the concept of year-round use of tourist facilities should be laid down. Head of the Government emphasized that it is important to build the work at the system level. As a result, it will improve the rating of Kazakhstan in the global Travel and Tourism Development Index of the World Economic Forum.

However, he pointed out that the effective development of the industry is hindered by a number of constraints. Among them are lack of infrastructure, limited number of accommodation facilities, low level of logistics and quality of services.

"We need to be sensitive to the complaints and recommendations of tourists. For example, this year tourists spoke about frequent power outages in the resort area of Alakol. The increasing flow of tourists requires active development of infrastructure. Addressing these issues should become the responsibility of each akim," Alikhan Smailov said. 

According to the Prime Minister, today the entire tourism potential of the country is also not taken into account. In particular, on the territory of Bayanaul resort zone development is limited only by Lake Zhasybay. The possibilities of other lakes, mountains and cultural monuments of the region are not fully utilized.

"In the past summer season there were many complaints about the quality of services for organizing tours on the Assy plateau and Kapshagai tourist zone. Systematically there is information about inflated prices for cab services, in the spheres of catering and hotel services. Such precedents reduce the tourist attractiveness of the country," he said. 

As Alikhan Smailov noted, it is necessary to start work on reforming the hotel classification system and raising the standards to the international level. In this regard, the Ministry of Tourism together with the Ministry of Trade has been instructed to conduct an audit of facilities and services in the tourism sector for their compliance with international standards.

Prime Minister also demanded to approve road maps for the development of TOP-20 priority tourist areas. 

"All local monuments of history, picturesque natural landscapes and other assets of our people should be properly integrated into tourist products," he said.

At the same time, the head of the Government instructed to work out specific approaches to the development of agro-, eco- and cultural tourism.

In conclusion, Alikhan Smailov outlined the need to provide tourist facilities with the necessary infrastructure, to take measures aimed at improving the safety of tourists, to ensure an active information campaign about the tourism potential of the Republic of Kazakhstan abroad, as well as to approve an action plan for digitalization of the tourism industry and improving the quality of services.

"At the same time, it is important to cover the full cycle of digitization and simplification of a foreign tourist's stay from arrival to departure, as well as the full range of services for domestic tourism," he concluded.

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Post-covid state and development of tourism in Kazakhstan

https://doi.org/10.46914/1562-2959-2023-1-2-216-233

About the Authors

• Scopus Cited

Kazakhstani tourism market is considered a promising direction for the development of export-oriented services. Even though according to international estimates, tourism in Kazakhstan is young and underdeveloped, Kazakhstan has all the necessary prerequisites for presenting an attractive industry product on the international market. This article presents an overview of the current state of tourism in Kazakhstan, in which the following key indicators were considered: the structure of the tourist flow, the number of visitors served by accommodation places, their travel goals, and the share of the contribution of the gross value added of tourism to the republican gross domestic product. The purpose of the study is to present the current situation in tourism before and after the covid epidemic in the world and Kazakhstan. The study used cabinet methods of information collection, comparative analysis, methods of generalization, tourism-specific analysis, and synthesis. The research was based on secondary data, the results of the author’s analysis of sources and scientific papers over the past 5 years, statistical information, analytical reports, and specialized articles from industry publications. The results of the study reflect the picture of the current state of the tourism services market in Kazakhstan and its development in 2017–2021. The results of the study will allow us to form a comprehensive view of the state of the tourism industry as a starting point in its further development, and the development of long-term plans for its activities. They and the formed conclusions can be applied in the subsequent works of researchers and can also be used by Kazakhstani tour operators in their practical activities

PhD student

c.e.s., associate professor

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For citations:

Kainazarova D.A., Baimagambetova L.K. Post-covid state and development of tourism in Kazakhstan. Bulletin of "Turan" University . 2023;(2):216-233. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46914/1562-2959-2023-1-2-216-233

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L. K. Baimagambetova Narxoz University Kazakhstan

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Ecotourism in Kazakhstan: balancing humans and nature

June 26, 2023.

Ecotourism in Kazakhstan is becoming increasingly popular. Nowadays,  tourist routes and trails , as well as virtual tours, are being developed in the country, sustainable business models are introduced, and  the legislative framework is being improved to reflect these changes.

With a rich variety of natural landscapes, flora and fauna, Kazakhstan is making efforts to balance the interests of the nature preservation with the interests of the local communities. The country’s national parks play a key role in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems – their development has a positive effect on employment and economic growth of the regions.

Katon-Karagai National Park is the largest park in Kazakhstan. It is located in the east of the country and covers an area of more than 640,000 hectares

Katon-Karagai and Kolsai Koldery National Parks are not only two of the largest national parks in Kazakhstan, they are the most favorite places for travelers to visit. The parks are included in  the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves . They impress with their picturesque landscapes, mountains and forests, high-altitude lakes and waterfalls. These parks are home to rare Red List animals and endemic plant species.

Today, the development of national parks and, in general, specially protected natural areas (protected areas) is not possible without the use of high technologies. Among the new IT solutions are virtual tours, which were developed and implemented in Katon-Karagai and  Kolsai Koldery National Parks in 2022.  Thanks to virtual tours, people have new opportunities to travel. Although, modern solutions cannot completely replace a person's stay in nature, they help national parks become more accessible to tourists from all over the world, positively influencing the sustainable tourism development in protected areas.

Kolsai Koldery, the National Nature Park, is located in the south-east of Kazakhstan and it is one of the most visited protected areas of the country

In recent years, Kolsai Koldery National Park has become a center of attraction not only for local tourists, but also for travelers from abroad. The park is the most visited in Kazakhstan. Over the past 10 years, the number of tourists has increased 10 fold – almost 200,000 people visited the national park in 2022.

Hamit Akhmetov has been working in the tourism and environmental education fields for more than 24 years and is a researcher at Kolsai Koldery National Park. He points out that the park has no shortage of visitors today, but an uneven recreational load on tourist routes and trails has to be urgently addressed in his opinion. At the moment, there are seven tourist routes in the national park, but only two are the busiest — Lower Kolsai Lake and Kaiyndy Lake. The tourism specialist is confident that with the help of a virtual tour technology, the national park will be able to reduce the burden on these routes.

Hamit Akhmetov is working on the development of ecotourism in Kolsai Koldery National Park

"90 percent of the national park visitors only visit the Lower Kolsai Lake and unfairly bypass the Middle and Upper Lakes, which are most beneficial from the point of view of the human psychocomfort. On the Kurmetty and Saty gorges’ routes, tourists can retire into the wilderness, and enjoy the singing of the birds, the murmur of streams, and the picturesque landscapes. Virtual tours introduce people to the diversity of the national park’s nature and inspire the interest of potential tourists in visiting other routes," said Hamit Akhmetov.

If in Kolsai Koldery National Park the virtual tours help to decrease the load on popular routes, then in Katon-Karagai National Park they are intended to attract new visitors.

Serik Konurbaev, a tourism specialist in Katon-Karagai National Park, notes that virtual tours play an important role in promoting protected areas not only among local tourists, but also among foreign tourists, who currently represent only 5 percent of the total number of visitors in Katon-Karagai Park.

"The tourist season in the Katon-Karagai National Park is extremely short – from June to September. However, due to virtual tours, anyone can take a virtual walk in picturesque places and plan a future trip to the national park more thoroughly," said Serik Konurbayev.  

Serik Konurbaev, a tourism specialist at Katon-Karagai National Park, is confident that virtual tours will help in the promotion and development of the national park

He also notes that the number of travelers from abroad primarily depends on the level of safety measures in place and the quality of services provided. New information about guest houses, transportation and other services is gradually added to the National Park’s website and posted on its social networks. Concurrently, work is underway to develop new routes and trails. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of tourists in Katon-Karagai: 7,040 people visited the park in 2022. It is expected that this trend will continue this year.

"We invite tour operators to cooperate with us, and we also work with an international partner from Mongolia, thanks to which more and more foreign tourists learn about Katon-Karagai National Park," added Serik Konurbayev.

The park’s leadership hopes that these measures will help attract not only a large number of tourists, but also solve the problem of shortage of staff in the national park.

Katon-Karagai National Park

The development and implementation of virtual tours to nature reserves and national parks of Kazakhstan is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). To date, within the framework of the project, virtual tours have been developed for the five protected areas of the country:  West Altai Nature Reserve ,  Katon-Karagai , Sairam-Ugam , Tarbagatai and  Kolsai Koldery National Parks.

Tours are an interactive presentation with 3D panoramic images and aerial panoramas, and contain information about tourist routes and trails that allow the user to move in the selected space, creating a sense of presence. To develop virtual tours, UNDP specialists took pictures at 79 locations in pilot protected areas.

Certainly, the development of ecotourism in national parks and reserves is not possible without interaction with local communities. For several years, the development of sustainable tourism in Kazakhstan has been carried out within the framework of the UNDP-GEF project, one of the key tasks of which is to expand opportunities for the local communities to engage in the provision of services in the field of ecotourism.

Today, there are about 80 guest houses in Saty Village, which is only 5 km from Kolsai Koldery National Park. Entrepreneurs from this rural community offer travelers accommodation, catering, horseback riding, transportation services, as well as various master classes. In recent years, yurt houses have been particularly popular among the most sophisticated travelers, allowing them to experience the culture and customs of the Kazakh people. 

Yurt guest houses in Kolsai Koldery National Park

Aliya Temirova is the owner of yurt guest houses, the business she started in 2022. The entrepreneur acquired three Kazakh yurts as part of  Eco Damu preferential lending program and installed them near Kolsai Lakes. Tourists are offered the opportunity to not only rent yurts for their stay, but also to get acquainted with the Kazakh national dishes.

"Yurt is a traditional dwelling of our ancestors, and today they are in the greatest demand among foreign tourists. Now we are promoting our services through social networks, we also plan to be placed on international booking sites in order to attract travelers from abroad," said Aliya.

Aliya Temirova, a businesswoman from a village near Kolsai Koldery National Park

Aliya runs her business with her husband and her brother, who graduated with a tourism major. The entrepreneur shares that the well-established infrastructure of the national park helps rural residents build sustainable businesses and develop ecotourism in the region.

"We plan to increase the number of yurts and promote Kazakh culture", - the woman shares.

There aren’t many guest houses in Katon-Karagai National Park – only five, but the region is famous for folk artisans who skillfully work with eco-friendly materials – felt and wood.

Bakytbek Jalymbekov, a resident of the village of Katon-Karagai, has been engaged in wood carving for 10 years. In his workshop, he makes souvenirs and products in the national style. The craftsman admits that the work brings him pleasure and notes that the products are primarily focused on safety and environmental friendliness.

Bakytbek Jalymbekov is a well-known artisan in the East Kazakhstan region. He has been engaged in wood carving for about 10 years

"Our ancestors loved to work with wood, creating real works of art – animal figurines, dishes and musical instruments. I believe that this craft teaches people to interact with nature, because it does not harm the environment," says Bakytbek Jalymbekov.

In 2019, the entrepreneur became one of the 15 participants of the training of Qazaq- Oner the Handicraft Center , organized with the support of the UNDP. Today Bakytbek Alymbekov successfully applies these skills in the development of his own business, which helps him earn income and provide for his family. Thanks to the development of tourism in the region, the entrepreneur receives private orders for the wood products, and his souvenirs and products are in demand among the visitors to Katon-Karagai National Park.

In his small workshop, the artisan creates products using eco-friendly materials

Bakytbek believes that natural areas have great potential for the development of ecotourism, so that local communities have the opportunity not only to do business, securing a decent future for themselves, but also to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.

Nowadays, national parks and nature reserves of Kazakhstan represent a model for the development of a sustainable future: people and nature get along on their land, and the use of high technologies changes the traditional beliefs about traveling in the wild, promoting the development of eco-tourism and local communities.

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• Katima Iskakova 6 ,
• Sairan Bayandinova 6 ,
• Zhannat Aliyeva 6 ,
• Aliya Aktymbayeva 6 &
• Ruslan Baiburiyev 6  

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In general, the nature of the republic is diverse; there are many the natural complexes that are well-preserved in the natural state, which is of great importance for the ecological tourism development.

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Katima Iskakova, Sairan Bayandinova, Zhannat Aliyeva, Aliya Aktymbayeva & Ruslan Baiburiyev

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Iskakova, K., Bayandinova, S., Aliyeva, Z., Aktymbayeva, A., Baiburiyev, R. (2021). The Natural and Recreational Potential of Kazakhstan for the Ecological Tourism Development. In: Ecological Tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77462-2_2

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77462-2_2

Published : 20 July 2021

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-77461-5

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-77462-2

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Tourism development in Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan is an oil exporting country, and in the present context, it attempts to diversify its economy by developing other sectors. Among them, tourism industry has been identied as one of the key sectors with high potential in generating income to the country. Therefore, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan has given a special emphasis to tourism since the last decade through the development of tourism support strategies and programs. The overall aim of this study is to examine the tourism development potentials of the Republic of Kazakhstan during the last decade, with reference to the Shchuchinsk-Burabay resort area, located in Akmola region of northern Kazakhstan. Furthermore, the paper highlights the challenges confronting the country and provide some recommendations for authorities and tourism businesses for successful tourism developmen

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Despite Strong Growth, South Asia Remains Vulnerable to Shocks

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2024 —Growth in South Asia is expected to be strong at 6.0% in 2024, driven mainly by robust growth in India and recoveries in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But persistent structural challenges threaten to undermine sustained growth, hindering the region’s ability to create jobs and respond to climate shocks, says the World Bank in its twice-a-year regional outlook.

According to Jobs for Resilience , the latest South Asia Development Update released today, South Asia is expected to remain the fastest-growing region in the world for the next two years, with growth projected to be 6.1% in 2025.

But this strong outlook is deceptive, says the report. For most countries, growth is still below pre-pandemic levels and is reliant on public spending. At the same time, private investment growth has slowed sharply in all South Asian countries and the region is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with its rapidly increasing working-age population.

“South Asia’s growth prospects remain bright in the short run, but fragile fiscal positions and increasing climate shocks are dark clouds on the horizon,” said Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia . “ To make growth more resilient, countries need to adopt policies to boost private investment and strengthen employment growth.”

South Asia’s working-age population growth has exceeded that in other developing country regions. And, while employment growth has also increased, it is well short of working-age population growth. As a result, the share of the employed working-age population has been declining since 2000 and is low. In 2023, the employment ratio for South Asia was 59%, compared to 70% in other emerging market and developing economy regions. It is the only region where the share of working-age men who are employed fell over the past two decades, and the region with the lowest share of working-age women who are employed.

“South Asia is failing right now to fully capitalize on its demographic dividend. This is a missed opportunity,” said Franziska Ohnsorge, World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia . “If the region employed as large a share of the working-age population as other emerging markets and developing economies, its output could be 16 % higher.”

These weak employment trends are concentrated in non-agricultural sectors and in part reflect challenging institutional and economic environments that have held back the growth of firms and businesses. Vibrant, competitive firms are key to unlocking employment growth and robust private investment. Stronger job creation would also help households, which have few effective options, to adapt to climate change.

The report recommends a range of policies to spur firm growth and boost employment including increasing trade openness and access to finance, improving business climates and institutions, removing financial sector restrictions, improving education, and removing restrictions on women’s economic activity. And these measures would also help lift growth and productivity and free up space for public investments in climate adaptation.

Country Outlooks

In Bangladesh , output is expected to rise by 5.7% in FY24/25, with high inflation and restrictions on trade and foreign exchange constraining economic activity. Bhutan ’s economy is expected to grow by 5.7% in FY24/25, supported by higher electricity production alongside growth in mining, manufacturing, and tourism. In India , which accounts for the bulk of the region’s economy, output growth is expected to reach 7.5% in FY23/24 before returning to 6.6% over the medium term, with activity in services and industry expected to remain robust. Output growth in Maldives is expected to be 4.7% in 2024, a half-percentage point downgrade from previous forecasts as tourists shift from high-end resorts toward lower-cost guesthouses. In Nepal , output is expected to grow by 4.6% in FY24/25 as hydropower exports are expected to pick up but recovery outside the hydropower sector is expected to remain slow. Following the contraction in FY22/23, Pakistan ’s economy is expected to grow by 2.3% in FY24/25 as business confidence improves. In Sri Lanka , output growth is expected to strengthen to 2.5% in 2025, with modest recoveries in reserves, remittances, and tourism.

The World Bank’s development updates for Bangladesh , Nepal , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka  were also released today.

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• Google Picks Two Kazakh Startups for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

By Assem Assaniyaz in Business , International on 10 April 2024

ASTANA – Google has selected two startup projects from Kazakhstan to participate in accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Kazakh students entered the list of the global 100 teams on April 5 , reported the Google Developers website. 

Respire startup members. Photo credit: Google Developer Groups (GDG) Cloud Almaty.

The competition was held following the Google Solution Challenge, an annual initiative that encourages the use of technologies to solve problems related to the United Nations (UN) 17 SDGs. It was organized by Google Developer Groups (GDG) Cloud Almaty, an independent group of software developers and startup community supported by Google. 

In an interview with The Astana Times, GDG Almaty Community Manager Askar Aituov said the teams “demonstrated great technical and research capabilities.” 

“The judging was strict with competition among the strongest teams all over the world, including Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and the United States,” he noted. 

Four students from the Kazakh-British Technical University ( KBTU) – Altair Kabdrakhmanov, Aknur Kapparova, Azat Amen, and Dina Kaziyeva – came up with an idea to tackle the challenges faced by people with disabilities at bus stops, including indifference, prolonged wait times, and stress .

WaitForMe project developers. Photo credit: Google Developer Groups (GDG) Cloud Almaty.

The mission of their WaitForMe startup is to make public transportation more accessible, particularly for individuals with visual impairments. 

“After authorization, people with disabilities select the bus that suits them best. By pressing the ‘notify’ button, bus drivers receive both voice and text notifications about the person awaiting them, along with their location. As the bus approaches, both the driver and a passenger receive voice and text notifications,” explained Kabdrakhmanov.

“When the passenger boards the bus and presses the ‘I am on a bus’ button, their location disappears from the map for other bus drivers ,” he added. 

The second project was presented by the Nazarbayev University (NU) students Aidana Kalimbekova, Rimma Kubanova, Yerassol Baigali, and Rakhat Khamitov.

The Respire startup leverages the power of the community to create a support system against smoking addiction. 

“We all know that smoking addiction has devastating consequences on health, leading to diseases, including cancer, heart problems, and respiratory disorders. It also places a significant strain on finances and impacts the environment through cigarette litter and pollution,” said Kubanova.

The addiction, she emphasized, is not just a personal struggle or the problem of Kazakh citizens but a global public health concern.

The mobile application allows users to track smoking habits, participate in challenges with friends or create their own, and receive personalized support from artificial intelligence (AI). It analyzes user data and delivers recommendations to help individuals overcome smoking triggers and cravings.

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