The Balkhash Lake resort area is among the TOP 10 priority tourist destinations in Kazakhstan. The place itself is conducive to quality rest, there is convenient transport logistics – auto, air, railway, says entrepreneur Yuri Ogai, representing the recreation center “Pearl”.
“We, entrepreneurs, are ready to invest money, build new facilities, expand existing business, taking into account the existing potential and the growing demand for domestic tourism,” says Yuri. – So, at the recreation center “Pearl”, in which more than 350 million tenge has already been invested over 15 years, we are planning a large-scale expansion.
For example, the recreation center “Tango” has a working draft of the SMR for 880 million tenge at 2020 prices, for 200 beds, with the creation of more than 85 jobs. Recreation centers “Samal”, “Barkovskoe”, “Lafa”, “Oasis”, “Nurbakhyt” have invested more than a billion tenge and further investment is planned.”
But further development is being held back by an insurmountable obstacle: the local akimat (KGP “Balkhash Su”) refuses to accept sewer engineering networks on a free-of-charge basis, in which entrepreneurs have invested about 175 million tenge. Despite the fact that the networks are technologically acceptable for all recreation centers and for the coast as a whole, they have not been able to obtain legal status for 9 years for the reason that they run along the water protection strip.
If the government had adjusted the division of the boundaries of the water protection strip to 25-35 m, instead of the existing 150 m (and these standards were established decades ago), then there would be new opportunities for further expansion of existing business, the construction of new recreation centers and an increase in tourist flow by at least 5 times, Yu is sure. Ogai.
