Tour trip to Baikonur

A year before largest international exhibition 'Astana EXPO-2017', Kazakhstan is ready to introduce new programs of extreme and industrial tourism, in which guests of the forum will be able to participate. In particular, the country may creat tours to the former nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk and 'Baikonur' cosmodrome. 

According to deputy akim of Kyzylorda region, special representative of Kazakh president at 'Baikonur' complex, Serik Kozhaniyazov, 'Baikonur' complex and the surrounding objects in the region will be very interesting for tourists, since it was a closed facility before last year. "After all, 'Baikonur' was created in Soviet times as a military facility. State corporation 'Roskosmos', which is also involved in business processes, was created last year. And for the first time in history selection of tour operators was carried out - Russian, Uzbek, Kazakh. Seven Kazakh tour operators are accredited today.

At the moment, Kazakhstan created a program together with the Ministry of Investments and Development, in which it outlined the issues of joint development of the cosmodrome's tourist potential. Kazakhstan has already sent it to the Russian side. "We have the Astronautics Museum. We have Gagarin's Start ... It is expected that meeting between co-chairs will be held in late September. We have special Intergovernmental Commission on 'Baikonur' complex. The Russian side is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, the Kazakh side - First Deputy Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev. Their meeting will be held in Kyzylorda, and this program will be signed during their meeting. It will give a significant boost to the tourism potential of this cosmodrome," he believes.

Of course, the implementation of all planned objectives will require a lot of work. Perhaps it will be necessary to create government institution, which will be responsible for the development of tourism. Vestnik Kavkaza asked professor of the Department of Business Process Management in Production and Service of RANEPA, Galina Dekhtyar, whether such tourism will be popular and what are the prospects of its development. 

According to her, Russian tour operators don't understand yet what parts of 'Baikonur' cosmodrome will be open for tourists. Of course it will be interesting to see cosmodrome. There were excursions to 'Baikonur' in Soviet times, but it was very difficult to take part in one of them. So I don't know what parts of this cosmodrome will be open, but it will definitely be very interesting.