Capital of Asian Tourism: Astana in Kazakhstan?

Astana in Kazakhstan wants to get international acknowledgement as the best tourist destinations in Asia.

“Marat Igaliyev, Head of the Industry and Tourism Committee, has announced Kazakhstan’s intentions to make Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the acknowledged Asian Capital of Tourism in the nearest future,” the message says, citing the press-service of the Industry and Tourism Committee of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Industry and New Technologies.

The title of the Capital of Asian Tourism was created at the 12th Ministerial Meeting of Asian Cooperation Dialog (ACD) on November 26, 2013 in Manama city, Bahrain. A concept of Asian tourism development was adopted at the meeting. The concept implicates that each year member-countries will select a city and proclaim it the Tourism Capital of Asia.

“The status of the Asia’s Tourism City is awarded to a city for one year. More than 30 Asian cities will be promoting their chosen city for the contest,” the message says.

Astana, formerly known as Akmola until 1998, Tselinograd until 1992 and Akmolinsk until 1961, has been the capital of Kazakhstan since 1997, and is the country’s second largest city after Almaty, the former capital. With an officially estimated population of 780 000 as of February 14, 2013 it is located in the north portion of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Province, though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area.

Manama, capital city of Bahrain, was named the Asian Capital of Tourism in 2014.