Geo-Tourism Perspectives In East Kazakhstan

Abstract

Eastern Kazakhstan\xa0\xa0 and\xa0 the\xa0 adjacent Gorno Altai of\xa0 southern Siberia encompass\xa0 very mosaic landscapes\xa0 across all the geographic\xa0 and geomorphic\xa0 zones enclosing numerous (pre-)historic monuments, some of them being a part of the UNESCO World natural\xa0 and cultural\xa0 heritage.\xa0 Excepting\xa0 the high-mountain\xa0 ranges (Rudno and Southern\xa0 Altai, Narym,\xa0 Tarbagatay\xa0 and Dzhungarskiy\xa0 Alatau) surrounding\xa0 the territory, the interior open arid steppes characterized by a broken relief of the granite-built Central Kazakhstan Hills as well as the barren rocky semi-deserts in the SE parts of the land remain largely unexplored\xa0 and tourism-uncovered. The extraordinary topographic\xa0 diversity was generated\xa0 by complex\xa0 geological processes\xa0 associated with the Cainozoic\xa0 orogenesis and the changing Quaternary\xa0 climates.\xa0 Geo-tourism\xa0 focusing\xa0 on the most exquisite landscape forms (geo-sites) and geological formations is a new trend in the country with still minor\xa0 activities that take advantage\xa0 of the region’s supreme geo-heritage potential. The unquestionable\xa0 touristic-recreational\xa0 attractiveness of this geographically marginal area of Central\xa0 Asia (historically a part of the Russian Empire’s Tomsk Gubernia)\xa0 reflects unique natural features – both geomorphic and biotic – including orographic, hydrologic, climatic,\xa0 mineral and pedogenic,\xa0 as well as rare endemic\xa0 plants and wildlife in addition to the colour ful national Kazakh and Russian traditions. In spite of these predispositions, an introduction of a vital, sustainable geo-tourism in East Kazakhstan is impeded by the limited accessibility to the region due to an insufficient year-round transport infrastructure and poor local accommodation\xa0 facilities in addition to the restricting boarder-zone entry regulations.