5 October 2016, Hong Kong – With the theme 1,000 Years of Almaty on the Silk Road: Prospects for Tourism Development in the Region, the conference took place in Almaty 29 – 30 September 2016.  The two-day conference focused on development of tourism potential of Almaty and strengthening inter-regional cooperation to enhance tourist flow and increase benefits for local communities. 

The event was organized by the Akimat of Almaty, the state regional administration, in collaboration with UNWTO, UNESCO and Asian Development Bank, with support of the Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of Kyrgyzstan.  It brought together international experts and stakeholders from Almaty region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Bishkek region to build a strategy for establishing a transnational route 《Khorgos – Almaty – Bishkek – Kashi》.
 

Featuring international good practices in tourism route and destination development, the conference provided practical advice on how stakeholders can work together to make the most of available resources and infrastructure to enhance tourism and support local economies.
 

As a pioneer in cultural tourism particularly on the Silk Road, Peter Wong Man Kong, Chairman of Culture Resources Development Co Ltd and Executive Chairman of China Chamber of Tourism, shared his views on Silk Road Cultural Tourism Development: Implication and Application in the conference.  He presented to the audience a couple of cultural heritage projects that he is taking part in. He further highlighted the importance of the five stages of cultural tourism development: positioning, authentication, adaptation, innovation, and management.      
 

With the upcoming mega events in the region – EXPO 2017 and Winter Universiade 2017, the conference provided a timely and valuable collaborative platform for tourism stakeholders from public and private sectors.