UNWTO 8th Global Urban Tourism Summit with Glittering Reception by City Mayor

Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) – October 12, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The UNWTO Global Urban Tourism Summit was held for the first time in Nur-Sultan from October 9 to October 11, 2019, the VIII Global Summit on Urban Tourism “Smart Cities – Smart Destinations” at the Palace of Independence. Nur-Sultan’s city Mayor Mr. Altai Kulginov, Mayor invited all delegates to a glittering reception at Saltanat Saraiy Palace.

Mr. Altai Kulginov graduated from the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after Akhmet Yassawi, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the University Of Aberdeen, UK, under the President’s Bolashak International Scholarship Program.

The Mayor thanked all present for their great work in making the UNWTO 8th Global Urban Tourism Summit a success, in particular the UNWTO Secretary-General Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and invited all guests to return to Nur-Sultan and promote teh city in tehir respective home destinations.

Smart cities can help provide better opportunities for boosting sustainable socio-economic development, employment, infrastructure development and strengthen resilience. What are smart cities all about and what does this mean for city tourism? A smart city and a smart destination means placing innovation, technology and resources at the disposal of developing integrated, sustainable and accessible urban settings for the benefit of its citizens and visitors. A smart city goes beyond the use of innovation and technology tools to improve urban life, it means rethinking urban development and planning and putting community and local engagement at the center of any conversation about economic growth and sustainability

The 8th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism focused on how developing smart cities can contribute to address complex urban challenges faced today by many destinations across the world. The most critical issues in sustainability, accessibility, urban management, innovation and technology will be discussed, while stressing the importance of including tourism as a pillar of the smart city agenda as a means to make tourism a true contributor to the development of inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.

Against the backdrop of the summit, Mr Pololikashvili met with President Tokayev for high-level discussions on Kazakh tourism, which is emerging as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the Central Asian region. Further demonstrating Kazakhstan’s support of both the event and UNWTO’s wider mandate, Mr Pololikashvili additionally met with Prime Minister Askar Mamin, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Ms Aktoty Raimkulova, and the Minister of Healthcare, Mr Yelzhan Birtanov.