The Business End

FORECAST TO REACH a population of two million by 2030, Astana is a city that’s continually on the up.

Not only the capital, but the country as a whole substantially bolstered its international reputation last year after Astana hosted the successful EXPO 2017 – a world leading international exposition held between June 10 and September 10 that welcomed more than 3.8 million visitors.

Centred around a theme of enhancing and exploring the future possibilities of energy in achieving global sustainable development, the expo itself echoed this innovative outlook through the Nur Alem, a structure that is renowned as the world’s largest spherical building.

Looking ahead, in the wake of the successes of EXPO 2017, the city is set to host a number of major global events in the coming year, namely the eighth United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Global Summit on Urban Tourism in 2019.

With UNWTO standing as the leading international body responsible for the promotion of sustainable and universally acceptable tourism, the conference is expected to attract leading tourism experts from all over the globe to Astana.

“Driven by the attention generated by EXPO 2017, the last three years have seen a drastic growth in the tourism sector. Now it is time to sail in these tailwinds and further promote the city and the region,” says Helena Mahuas, Deputy Director of the Astana Convention Bureau.