On November 16, Du Jiang, Vice Chairman of China's National Tourism Administration, met in Astana, Capital of Kazakhstan, with Kuozhahapanuofu, the new Deputy Minister of the Kazakh Cultural and Sport Ministry. Both sides had in-exchange of views on organizing the Closing Ceremony of China's Tourism Year and furthering the tourism exchanges and communication of the two countries.

 

Du Jiang first extended his congratulations on Kuozhahapanuofu’s assumption of the new post at the Ministry of Culture and Sport. He hoped both sides would take the Tourism Year as an opportunity to advance the tourism partnership, and make sustained efforts to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries and promote people-to-people connectivity. Du Jiang said that China is ready to align relevant policies and measures with Kazakhstan, so as to create favorable conditions for further expanding the two-way tourism exchanges between the two countries. At the same time, in order to share the opportunities for the development of China's outbound tourism market, we hope Kazakhstan will make efforts in facilitating visa issuance, promoting tourism product lines and improving tourist reception facilities. Kuozhahapanuofu indicated his agreement and support for this and expressed his wish that by adopting positive measures, he would see the number of Chinese tourists to his country shall greatly increase. 

 

Both parties said that the success of "China's Tourism Year" in Kazakhstan has laid a more solid foundation for deepening the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries. The forthcoming Closing Ceremony of the Year of Tourism will be a new starting point for the development of the tourism exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

 

Also present at the meeting were leaders of the Department of Tourism Promotion and International Cooperation, China National Tourism Administration, and the leaders of the Tourism Committee of Culture and Sport Ministry of Kazakhstan.

 

On November 17, 2017, the delegation headed by Du Jiang also met with Kamalidinuo, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and the two sides candidly exchanged views on issues of their common concern.