There are problems hindering the development of tourist activity, which are common to all national parks

This was stated by Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan "Atameken" Yuliya Yakupbaeva at a roundtable in Almaty, where they discussed topical issues of development of eco-tourism in specially protected natural territories of Kazakhstan.

"The current state and development of tourism in the specially protected areas (SPAs)” was the theme of the round table organized by the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Representatives of NCE RK of Kazakhstan "Atameken", the UNDP, the Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, heads of concerned government agencies, natural reserves, industry associations and others took part in the the discussion of this topic.

Administrative barriers hindering the development of eco-tourism

Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan "Atameken" Yuliya Yakupbaeva, speaking on issues of communication and inter-agency cooperation in the development of ecotourism, drew attention to the problematic issues of the tourism and construction activities in the specially protected natural territories.

According to her, now the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan and national parks, in order to attract investors for the construction of tourist facilities, are working on selection and placement of land plots at tenders.

"NCE RK" Atameken" notes the importance of the work done by the Committee, as provision of land plots at the national parks for the implementation of tourist projects opens up new opportunities for entrepreneurs, who are now increasingly interested in new niches in the development of domestic tourism. We support the stance of the Ministry of Agriculture that the sale of land plots at national parks is not allowed. As the world practice shows, it is necessary to use PPPs more actively. For example, in Spain and France beaches are transferred in trust management. The state controls purity and infrastructure through standards. Businesses can develop business through manufacture and sale of souvenirs, catering. No bonfire should be allowed and no empty bottles should be abandoned in protected areas, there should be correct and functional zoning, and there should be set requirements for the objects ", - said Yuliya Yakupbaeva.

As it was noted by the deputy chairman of the Board of NCE: construction on the land plots at protected areas for the implementation of tourist and recreational activities, and limited economic activities is regulated by Article 46 of the Law "On Specially Protected Natural Areas".

According to this rule, the land should be provided on the basis of a permit issued by the authorized body after the object, its construction (project and estimate documentation) and drawings (graphic design) are agreed with the competent authorities. Permission to use the land for construction is issued by the authorized body, which is approved by the Government Decree.

"As for preparation of permits for the construction, business often has problems of the following nature: delays in the timing of issuing permits (which take 1.5 to 2 years without delays), unjustified denials, there is corruption component in some cases. Currently, many of the objects available for privatization, remain unclaimed because potential investors are afraid of the complexity and duration of the licensing procedures ", - commented Yuliya Yakupbaeva.

In addition, the law provides for certain specific conditions for persons who have signed contracts for the land, which must also be observed with violation of the rights of land users.

"Natural or legal persons who have received land plots after the expiration of the contract on land use, have preferential rights to extend the contract. There are no restrictions on the number of renewals of contracts. Conditions of transfer of rights of use of land and the construction of facilities on its territory (if any) are specified in the contract for the implementation of the tourism and recreational activities ", - explained Y.Yakupbaeva.

Entrepreneur is responsible for nature

She also noted that "on their part, land users within the law have a duty to facilitate the preservation of environmental integrity".

"There is a commitment to preserve the lands of state national natural parks and the one on compliance with environmental regulations, except in cases of transfer of building objects to another person in accordance with a written notice of the authorized body, directly established by the treaty. Dismantling and removal of structures from the construction territories shall be carried out by individuals and legal entities in a manner safe for human life and health and the environment", - explained the deputy head of the Board of NCE RK.

According to Yuliya Yakupbaeva, effective inter-agency cooperation among all stakeholders (Local Executive Bodies, the Ministry of Agriculture, management of national parks, public organizations, NCE) is designed to carry a balance in meeting of the interests of business investors, developers, travel agencies and environmental organizations.

 "It is necessary to simplify as much as possible access to land, given to national parks for execution of tourism and recreation activities, while at the same time, exercise control over the targeted use of these lands and prevent environmental damage", - said Deputy Chairman of the Board of NCE Y.Yakupbaeva. She also added that "there are common problems that prevent the development of active tourism activities that are typical of all the national parks".

Poor infrastructure is a weak point of national parks

"First of all, it's an infrastructural problem (lack of electricity in the tourist centers, hotels and homes of foresters on the territory of parks and reserves, the lack of technology to improve the road surface between different facilities, lack of water resources, water supply, lack of transportation for tourists to move on the territory of the National Park; no signs along the roads leading to the National Park, the absence of equipped platforms for viewing)", - listed Yuliya Yakupbaeva.

Within the frames of the law

In addition, she said, there are problems of legal regulation of ecological tourism (there is no necessary level of regulation, including the development and promotion of tourism potential in the field, i.e. directly in the regions, presenting the tourist potential). "The local executive bodies, have in their structure departments dealing with the development of tourism, which not always perform this function, often there is no interaction between the Akimats and the management of specially protected areas in the region, lack of marketing and promotion of domestic tourist products on the international market", - said deputy chairman of NCE RK.

Money is not enough, and there are no tour guides

Yakupbaeva drew attention to the financial and personnel problems that exist in nature reserves and national parks. So, according to her, there are no funds for the landscaping of the National Parks, there are no additional sources of funds, because the reserves have recreational rules under which they are not allowed to host tourists over the certain limit; sponsorship is presented in the material sense, there are no financial assistance because of bureaucratic and tax barriers. Among the personnel problems - insufficient number of trained professionals (guides, tour guides, interpreters,) for realization of high-quality tourist routes; low level of service in the provision of tourist services).

Summing up the meeting, Deputy Chairman of the Board of NCE RK noted that "all the world knows that there is the National Park with Teide volcano, and everyone wants to visit it, but few people know about our Burabai and Kenderli".

"We are pleased that there is this platform. We understand that each National Park has its own experience in terms of eco-tourism development. NCE RK "Atameken" is ready to discuss them with representatives of business and the authorities. We hope that together we will achieve tangible results in the promotion of eco-tourism", - summarized Yuliya Yakupbaeva.