Comments on: Almaty, Dream Destination? http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/ neweurasia\'s Kazakhstan blog Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:40:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Sanjay Srikantiah http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-44807 Sanjay Srikantiah Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:14:46 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-44807 Almaty, Dream Destination? Is this guy smoking crack? I was a Peace Corps Volunteer here and have returned to work for the American Chamber of Commerce. Almaty has changed alot in my abscence, but only superficially. The whole idea of Almaty as a tourist destination iscrazy. It's simply become too expensive and given the choices out there even Kazakhs go abroad. Hotel's like the Ritz will only drive prices up. How about good quality 3-4 star hotels? everything has to be on a grand scale here like the old Soviet Union. The residential housing market has collapsed and it remains to be seen how far the govt. will go in support of the commercial market. Almaty is overbuilt and underserviced. Things may look good on the outside, but I wouldn't beleive the hype. Almaty, Dream Destination? Is this guy smoking crack? I was a Peace Corps Volunteer here and have returned to work for the American Chamber of Commerce. Almaty has changed alot in my abscence, but only superficially. The whole idea of Almaty as a tourist destination iscrazy. It’s simply become too expensive and given the choices out there even Kazakhs go abroad.

Hotel’s like the Ritz will only drive prices up. How about good quality 3-4 star hotels? everything has to be on a grand scale here like the old Soviet Union.

The residential housing market has collapsed and it remains to be seen how far the govt. will go in support of the commercial market. Almaty is overbuilt and underserviced. Things may look good on the outside, but I wouldn’t beleive the hype.

]]> By: Audrey http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40858 Audrey Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:58:45 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40858 I agree with the comments above - Almaty is a business destination, not a tourist destination. Although Almaty does have the nearby Tian Shan Mountains for hiking and skiing, I can't see it competing on either front with its mountainous European competitors. It's not as if Almaty has a cost advantage, as accommodation and food costs there sometimes exceed Europe. Additionally, Almaty's police are still not particularly tourist-friendly. My husband was <a href="http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2007/12/kazakhstan%e2%80%99s-postal-police/" title="Kazakhstan's Postal Police" rel="nofollow">questioned for taking a photo of a child's drawing at a post office </a> and essentially told that photos are not a good idea in Kazakhstan. I agree with the comments above - Almaty is a business destination, not a tourist destination. Although Almaty does have the nearby Tian Shan Mountains for hiking and skiing, I can’t see it competing on either front with its mountainous European competitors. It’s not as if Almaty has a cost advantage, as accommodation and food costs there sometimes exceed Europe.

Additionally, Almaty’s police are still not particularly tourist-friendly. My husband was questioned for taking a photo of a child’s drawing at a post office and essentially told that photos are not a good idea in Kazakhstan.

]]> By: News Roundup - December 13, 2007 « Silk Road Intelligencer http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40831 News Roundup - December 13, 2007 « Silk Road Intelligencer Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:55:16 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40831 [...] Neweurasia.net: Almaty, dream destination? [...] […] Neweurasia.net: Almaty, dream destination? […]

]]> By: Adam Kesher http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40818 Adam Kesher Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:22:30 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40818 Your comments are very true - especially concerning the Kapchagai landscape :) There is a plan of transforming it into a gambling paradise though... As for Chimbulak, it's being redone now - a further post on what's going to be built there is coming soon Your comments are very true - especially concerning the Kapchagai landscape :)
There is a plan of transforming it into a gambling paradise though…
As for Chimbulak, it’s being redone now - a further post on what’s going to be built there is coming soon

]]> By: Narcogen http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40814 Narcogen Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:39:36 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40814 Astana might be brutally hot in summer and extremely cold in winter, but Almaty is neither. Sure, sometimes it hits 40 in the summer but the air is pretty dry. In winter it rarely drops much below zero C even at night and there's very little wind. Snowfall is also very mild; it can snow for a couple days straight and still not seem to amount for more than a few centimeters on the ground. That said, the idea of Almaty as a tourist mecca is patently ridiculous. It lacks one thing that every other location on that list has in spades: coastline. The man-made Kapchigai lake is set in a post-industrial are that looks more like the setting for a post-apocalyptic game like Half-Life than any tourist trap you've ever been to. About the only potential claim to mainstream tourist interest would be skiing, but the existing resort at Chimbulak is essentially one trail and three lifts, the topmost of which is a rickety-looking wooden slat single-seat affair. It's all serviceable and I have enjoyed using it over the years, but it's a far cry from being called anything better than third rate compared to mainstream resorts in the States or Europe-- both in terms of grooming and on-site facilities. I can almost guarantee that the Ritz-Carlton is being built to service business travelers, not tourists. Those are the clients that currently occupy the Intercontinentals in Almaty and Astana and the Hyatt Regency as well. And at some point, just like the residential housing market, the commercial space and hotel sectors will be overbuilt. It's heading that way now; the only question is how quickly it gets there. Astana might be brutally hot in summer and extremely cold in winter, but Almaty is neither. Sure, sometimes it hits 40 in the summer but the air is pretty dry. In winter it rarely drops much below zero C even at night and there’s very little wind. Snowfall is also very mild; it can snow for a couple days straight and still not seem to amount for more than a few centimeters on the ground.

That said, the idea of Almaty as a tourist mecca is patently ridiculous. It lacks one thing that every other location on that list has in spades: coastline. The man-made Kapchigai lake is set in a post-industrial are that looks more like the setting for a post-apocalyptic game like Half-Life than any tourist trap you’ve ever been to.

About the only potential claim to mainstream tourist interest would be skiing, but the existing resort at Chimbulak is essentially one trail and three lifts, the topmost of which is a rickety-looking wooden slat single-seat affair. It’s all serviceable and I have enjoyed using it over the years, but it’s a far cry from being called anything better than third rate compared to mainstream resorts in the States or Europe– both in terms of grooming and on-site facilities.

I can almost guarantee that the Ritz-Carlton is being built to service business travelers, not tourists. Those are the clients that currently occupy the Intercontinentals in Almaty and Astana and the Hyatt Regency as well.

And at some point, just like the residential housing market, the commercial space and hotel sectors will be overbuilt. It’s heading that way now; the only question is how quickly it gets there.

]]> By: Global Voices Online » Kazakhstan: Almaty, a Dream Destination? http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40811 Global Voices Online » Kazakhstan: Almaty, a Dream Destination? Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:31:14 +0000 http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/2007/12/12/almaty-dream-destination/#comment-40811 [...] Arseny translates Adam’s post reviewing the Wall Street Journal’s supposition that Almaty may become one of the next Mecca for international tourists. Share This [...] […] Arseny translates Adam’s post reviewing the Wall Street Journal’s supposition that Almaty may become one of the next Mecca for international tourists. Share This […]

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