Indians enjoy visiting scenic Kazakhstan, says embassy official

The Embassy of Kazakhstan has said that Mr. Iqbal Mulla, former president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), and other tourist operators have claimed that they were misquoted by the Daily News and Analysis (DNA) on Kazakhstan is emerging as the new sex tourism hub for Indians.

It may be recalled that recently, the DNA had quoted Mr. Mulla, as saying recently: "Countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are fast becoming the next Bangkok, which is known for its sex tourism."

Mulla was further quoted as saying: "Several Indians choose these countries, especially Kazakhstan, over Bangkok or Singapore or Indonesia."

When the Embassy of Kazakhstan was contacted over the report, the embassy's First Secretary, who is in charge of media relations and interactions, Mr. Timur Nogaibayev, told ANI over phone that "Mr. Mulla, who currently heads Treasure Tourism Corporation Ltd., and Mr. Rakshit Desai, Managing Director of FCM Travel Solutions and Flight Shop, kindly informed us that they have been missquoted and missunderstood. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the journalist who is trying to avoid directly talking to us on the matter."

To emphasize that Kazakhstan is much more than an alleged sex tourism hotspot, Mr. Nogaibayev revealed that the Embassy of Kazakhstan has issued around 600 tourist visas to Indians visiting Kazakhstan this year.

"A significant portion of these tourists are married couples, often with children. With this statistics, we can hardly speak of "raids" of crazy Indian macho as a mass phenomenon," Mr. Timur Nogaibayev told ANI.

He further stated that the people in Kazakhstan are a sociable lot, and did not need an excuse for a party.

Almaty and Astana have a large number of bars and cafes that are open till late hours.

It is worth mentioning that the people of Kazakhstan are very open, communicative and hospitable by nature. We have a society where personal freedom is being respected. There is no xenophobia or discrimination on any pretext.

Kazakhstan is a place of fascinating contrasts between the old and the new. The country has left its Soviet past far behind and the people are upwardly mobile. It is a great place for those who like to work hard and also like to play hard.

From the other hand Kazakhstan is the growing hub of labor migration due to its developing economy and social live. This attracts a huge number of migrants from the neighboring countries, including to the sphere of entertainment.