Kazakhstan plans to introduce QR codes at the border to improve the experience of foreign tourists, Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev said at a government meeting. These codes will help tourists get information about guides, taxi fares, buying an electronic SIM card, as well as useful phrases in the Kazakh language, El.kz reports.
Next year, it is expected to develop a digital platform for rating the regions of Kazakhstan based on tourist attractiveness. The criteria will include ease of navigation, the availability of the Internet in public places and services for buying tickets to tourist sites.
Marzhikpayev also stressed that the digitalization of the activities of guides will continue. The introduction of badges for guides will allow them to get free access to museums, national parks and other sites when accompanied by tour groups.
According to the ministry, domestic tourism in Kazakhstan is growing. In the first half of the year, more than 3 million Kazakhstanis visited various regions of the country. This is 400 thousand more compared to last year. It is projected that by the end of the year, the total number of domestic tourists will be 9 million.
The number of foreign tourists also doubled, reaching more than 500,000 in the first six months. This figure is expected to increase to 1.4 million by the end of the year.