Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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they have a special building for tourists to come and collect the information, as well as smaller
kiosks at Almaty airport and at major attractions. In Nur-Sultan, there is no special information
building in the city center as there is in Almaty, but they have several kiosks providing tourist
information. The goal of the central government is to impose local administrations in the
regions of Kazakhstan to create information centers for tourists and also to provide internet
connectivity. The government identifies this initiative as a potential plan to fund internet
satellite connections in major remote destinations, as the country is huge, and coverage is not
excellent yet.
In Kazakhstan, there is no customer satisfaction monitoring system at this point in time, but
the country is just starting to launch a survey either in airports or at major attractions and
sightseeing spots. Next year, a special feedback area on Kazakhstan’s travel website will be
introduced, where those who are traveling by car can register and leave feedback or complaints
if they are illegally stopped by the police or feel somehow mistreated.452
At GosComTourism, there is a new Department of Statistics. In June 2019, they conducted vast
research on tourist satisfaction, particularly on spending. The survey was undertaken directly
in railway stations and at main historical sites. Students from the tourism faculties of
Uzbekistan’s universities volunteered for this process, and they interviewed more than 10,000
tourists. The Department of Statistics analyzes this data, and GosComTourism uses it for
planning. 453
DMOs have their own way of collecting feedback. According to an interview with a Silk Road
Destination DMO, around 90% of travelers leave feedback, but the issue is how to properly
analyze this information. There is a need to structure the methodology of feedback analysis. 454
Community involvement. The role of local communities in preserving the historical heritage
of the Silk Road is critically important. Without the strict protection of these monuments, there
is no future in tourism which has sustainability based on the role of local communities. 455
Community-based tourism, which is mainly developed in Kyrgyzstan, is yet to reach its full
potential in other destinations.456
In Kazakhstan, local communities are not heavily involved. The Kazakhstan Tourism
Association and some other stakeholders are engaged in CBT (community-based tourism)
projects, and they are developing new guest houses and educating locals on converting their
homes into guesthouses to earn a stable income. There is still no particular legislation for
guesthouses, but there are ongoing discussions on tax waivers or grants to help communities
convert their homes into comfortable guest accommodations. They are currently either funded
by international organizations in the form of grants or are purely business driven. For instance,
there is Saty village in Kolsai lake, which has many guesthouses on offer, but none of which
were sponsored or funded by the government or any organizations – people instead took this
as a business opportunity. 457
Silk Road Destination DMO supports a responsible tourism project in the village of Metan near
Samarkand, where they are trying to preserve the land, culture, and traditions of the local
452 Interview with Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism
453 Interview with Head of the Department of Scientific Research and Work with Educational Institutions of GosComTourism
454 Interview with Director of Silk Road Destinations DMO
455 Interview with Head of the Department of Scientific Research and Work with Educational Institutions of GosComTourism
456 "Silk Road Action Plan 2016/2017".
457 Interview with Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism