Astana Expo 2017: Doors open to the world

As many as 115 states and 22 international organisations are going to take part in Kazakhstan EXPO 2017, the doors will be opened to the world on June 10. One of the largest international expos of the decade is held in Astana capital of Kazakhstan, which is the greatest achievement at the international level of Kazakhstan since its
independence.
EXPO 2017 is a recognized expo, also referred to as an international specialized expo, and is part of the World’s Fair system. Recognized expos are smaller versions of the Universal expos commonly referred to as World’s Fairs. Kazakh has chosen the theme “Future Energy” to promote and discover sustainable, global energy solutions.
To fulfill the task of the head of state, Rapil Zhoshybayev, Kazakhstan’s National EXPO 2017
Commissioner aimed at attracting countries and international organisations to the exhibition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the foreign missions of Kazakhstan and the Astana EXPO 2017 national company have done a lot of
work. “We planned to attract 100
countries and 10 international organisations but managed to reach
115 states and 22 international
organisations,” he said.
In general, during the exhibition we will be able to see projects we could only dream about. EXPO 2017 will serve as the attraction centre for new technologies. This is a wonderful opportunity for our young scientists to introduce their ideas even if they seem to be absurd and unreal. The technological progress is so fast that we do not even notice we are living in a different world.
Kazakhstan’s success in winning the competition to host EXPO 2017 is the logical next step in the process of integrating that nation and the rest of Central Asia into the global community and economic market place after long eras of being cut off as part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
EXPO 2017 will last three months, include representatives from approximately 100 countries and is expected to draw three to five million visitors, which would make it the largest international gathering of its kind Central Asia has seen.
In the 222 years since the first international industrial exhibition was held in Prague in 1791, no World’s Fair, or recognized exhibition, has been held in Central Asia. The only one to be held in the territory of today’s 12 nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States that were formerly part of the old Soviet Union took place in Nizhny Novgorod in Russia in 1875. And never in the 84-year history has the host city been chosen by such a large majority of votes.
President Nursultan Nazarb- ayev’s own comments reinforce that sentiment. “This will be a turning point for Kazakhstan: It will start a whole new chapter in economic development,” the president said.
The success of EXPO directly depends on the number of visitors. Kazakh expects more than 2 million visitors at the exhibition, 15 percent of whom are expected to be foreign tourists. The new iconic country has signed 47 memorandums of cooperation with tourist associations of the world. The akimat (city administration) has established a special headquarters for preparing the city for EXPO. All activities are conducted in accordance with the deadlines. All the services of the city are working in an amplified mode. In general, the city is ready to receive and accommodate more than 2 million tourists from within Kazakhstan and abroad.
There are sufficient rooms to accommodate all the guests in the amount of the 35,000 people expected to arrive at hotels and apartments. A reservation department was established and 10 regions have already reserved rooms for their delegations. Eighteen residence halls will accommodate 40,000 students from the regions. Accommodations will also be provided for seconded employees of law enforcement agencies and volunteers. For the comfortable stay of foreign tourists, online registration was introduced directly in hotels.
According to the application dossier, on the day of the maximum peak load, 110,000 seats are required. There are 273 restaurants in the city with 80,000 seats, 460 cafes with 23,000 seats and 27 canteens with 3,000 seats. Today, 850 food points provide 116,000 seats, with emphasis on different cuisines. All issues of the city’s food security have been resolved. Growth of food consumption by 20-30 percent – up to 160,000 tonnes for three months.
The event will also be a boon for Astana, which has had a successful track record over the last three years of hosting major international events, including the December 2010 56-nation summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Asian Winter Games in January-February 2011. Both were the first major gatherings of their kind in Central Asia. They also provided Astana’s municipal government, police and services the experience and confidence to tackle hosting EXPO 2017.
EXPO will turn Astana into a showcase for the latest global developments in the energy sector and will transform it into a hub for developing alternative energy solutions across Central Asia. The recognition, income and interest the expo is expected to generate will also be felt beyond Astana, says President Nazarbayev. “For us, the EXPO has to become a mega-project which will benefit each and every region,” the president told a recent gathering in Astana of mayors and governors from around the country. “This will give a powerful impetus to the innovative development of the country.” EXPO 2017 will promote Kazakhstan all over the world. The exhibition defines agenda for the world economic development.
The government of Kazakhstan has allocated 250 million euros ($325.25 million) to construct the EXPO site and build a new generation of mass transit and roads to serve it. The government also expects to attract 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in foreign investments for the new buildings, roads and transit systems, including a new city
railway system.
The EXPO itself will be held on 113 hectares (279.23 acres) of land at the end of Millennium Alley in the new southwest district of the city.
With Expo 2017’s theme, Kazakhstan is tapping into an incredibly important global conversation. Its hosting of an Expo devoted to future energy is purposefully political; it fits squarely into President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grander vision to position Kazakhstan as a key
global state, a powerful economy, and a forward-looking convener
of nations.

Dr AbdulRahim Abdulwahid is chairman of Media Hub International, Dubai