First steps towards ecological tourism in the Balkhash district

Over the course of 2021, activities were held in several villages of Balkhash district with the aim of environmental education for young people aged 14 to 24 years. The first stage of the project included conducting educational seminars on learning English in schools, on the context of the study of eco-tourism. Despite quarantine restrictions and communication problems, the participants from Bakanas, Karoy, and Koktal villages showed motivation and involvement in the learning process.

The program also included educational excursions with accompanied by teachers and parents. Participants had the opportunity to visit one of the largest natural history museums of Kazakhstan, at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

During the second stage of the learning project, we held a film screening that was prepared within the framework of the project.

Training seminars were held for local residents and communities on the topic of creating tourist infrastructure, with participation from tourism experts, tour guides, coordinators from around the world, as well as the founders and operators of the first guest houses in the tourist destination village of Saty. Experts shared their experience in creating and further promoting ecotourism services, spoke about the cultural differences between tourists from different countries, and gave general recommendations on ensuring comfort for travelers. A special additional edition of a manual in two languages on the organization of guest houses, originally prepared by the Kazakhstan Tourism Association (KTA) was re-released for the participants of the seminars.

Upon completion of the project, a large two-day educational excursion to the Kolsai Lakes National Park (Saty village) and the Charyn National Park took place. The participants visited guest houses and met with local residents of the village, who talked to them about ecotourism and ecology in general.

Overall, more than 100 young people received training. The most active participants of the project were awarded certificates of successful completion of the educational course. Having received an initial level of knowledge in English, having passed trainings on organizing excursions for tourists and familiarized themselves with the activities of guest houses, the project participants became more prepared to work with both local and foreign guests!