KITF 2024 IS NOT JUST AN EXHIBITION, BUT A REAL HOLIDAY OF TOURISM AND A PRESENTATION OF INNOVATIVE TOURISM PRODUCTS FROM 28 COUNTRIES.
ON APRIL 24, THE LARGEST INDUSTRY EXPO EVENT HELD IN KAZAKHSTAN - THE KAZAKHSTAN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AND TRAVEL EXHIBITION - KITF 2024 - OPENED AT THE ATAKENT KCBC.
Over the 22 years of its existence, the KITF exhibition has confidently taken the main place among the largest tourism exhibitions in the Central Asian region, becoming the flagship for the development of the tourism industry in Kazakhstan. The exposition occupied two exhibition pavilions. New destinations and tourism products at KITF 2024 are represented by 406 exhibitors from 28 countries, sixteen of which are represented by large national stands reflecting the flavor of each country: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Vietnam, Georgia, Kazakhstan, China, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Russia, Romania, Croatia, South Korea, Japan.
The start of the exhibitions was given by an introductory tour with the participation of N. Karipbayev, the Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K. Sadvakasov, the Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism NC JSC, B. Danilenko, the Director of Iteca Exhibition Company, as well as representatives of the Embassies and Consulates General of China, Cuba, Malaysia, Turkey, Uzbekistan.
The business program began with the Plenary session: Alga, Kazakhstan!: tools for tourism development. Successful cases of international practice, where in the format of an open dialogue the speakers discussed the development of tourism in their country, shared successful cases in the field of tourism, and talked about new projects being implemented. The session was attended by K. Taychabarov, the President of Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic, M. Koplatadze, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Adjara Autonomous Republic (Georgia), F. Akhundzade, the Head of the Sector for work with CIS and Asian Countries of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau and N. Karipbayev, the Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. K. Sadvakasov, the moderator of the session, the Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism NC JSC urged the participants to find points for further joint growth of the tourism industry, taking into account the clear trend for visiting and the rapid development of tourism in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries of the Silk Road region.
At the 2024 exposition, the representation of international participants was more than 80%, and the increase in the number of exhibitors was over 50%, which reflects interest in the tourism market of Kazakhstan. And statistical data confirm the attractiveness of Kazakhstan for both incoming and outgoing tourists. As N. Karipbayev noted in his speech: “According to official statistics, at the end of 2023, the number of domestic tourists served by accommodation places increased by 647.5 thousand people, compared to the same period in 2022, amounting to 7,054.5 million people (2022 – 6,407 million people). In 2023, the country was visited by 1,084.8 thousand foreign tourists, and this is immediately 156.8 thousand more people than in 2022”.
At their stands, participants surprised visitors with a variety of performances reflecting the unique cultural characteristics of each participating country. Activities included bright photo zones, tea ceremonies, master classes, impressive musical performances and drawings for valuable prizes. New destinations were presented for the first time: Kamchatka Territory, Altai Republic (RF), Romania, Phu Quoc (Vietnam).
Taking into account the emergency situation with floods in several regions of Kazakhstan, the organizers refused the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony symbolizing the opening of the exhibition, as a sign of solidarity with the entire country. The focus of attention was shifted to the educational component of the site. During all three days of the exhibition, a seminar zone will operate in a dynamic “marathon” format, the topic of which is TREND ZONE: Points of Attraction. Participants of the KITF Travel Forum can expect as many as 17 hours of intense discussions on current topics, in which 55 speakers will take part.
It is worth noting that the KITF exhibition is an international platform for exchanging experiences, establishing partnership relations and promoting tourism products to new markets. This event is unique and has no analogues in Kazakhstan, being key and strategically important on the scale of the tourism industry and the country’s economy as a whole.
Another innovation this year was the launch of the ITECA.EVENTS mobile application, the main task of which is to create ideal interaction between visitors and participants. Using the application, you can make appointments with potential clients, view the list of participants and products/services presented at the exhibition, have access to the most up-to-date information (navigation plan, business program), collect a contact database based on the results of meetings held, view individual personalized recommendations, created by artificial intelligence based on completed data. In short, with ITECA.EVENTS – the entire exhibition is in digital format.
The official partner of KITF 2024 is KOMPAS tour operator. Partners of the exhibition business program are PEGAS Touristik, Trend Buro.
Official support for the event was provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Akimat of Almaty city, Kazakh Tourism National Company JSC, Kazakhstan Tourism Association ALE, Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Turistik Kamkor Corporate Fund.
The organizer of the KITF exhibition is ITECA Kazakhstan Exhibition Company and its international partner –ICA Events Group of Companies.
The exhibition will last two more days. We are waiting for tourism industry professionals to pre-register on the event website for a real holiday of tourism in Almaty!
