Astana is former Kazak stanitsa, Hodja Ahmet Jasaui mausoleum located in Uzbek earth, so Kazakhs descended from the Kyrgyz. During excursions, guides tell such wonderful stories to guests of Kazakhstan. Those heed and believe.

What legends about Kazakhstan have not heard from the guides the President of the Eurasian tourism Association Rysty Karabayeva. She says: for image of country they answer no less than line ministry. For foreign tourist guide is him eyes, ears, guide, interpreter and main source of impressions. Because of this information that guides voices should be not only interesting and should be exact and correct.

-What happens in real? The law on tourist activity States says that only a citizen of Kazakhstan can work as a guide. There is a law, but control over its execution is not. So as guides can work a foreigners who do not really know our history or our architecture. They bring here groups from other countries and conduct excursions for them, but often their legends are not in favor of Kazakhstan.

For example: Uzbek tourists came to Mausoleum of Hodja Ahmet Jasaui with our guides and they says that Hodja Ahmet Jasaui mausoleum is Uzbek earth.

When Kyrgyz tourists came with our guides they says that previously, there were no Kazakhs and they came from the Kyrgyz, – Rysty Karabaeva remembers stories of her experience.

Another story from expert of tour business.

In Almaty, a guide with Kyrgyz citizenship leads a group of foreign tourists to the 28 Panfilov Park in Almaty and reports: “this is a Park. But in General, in Kazakhstan it is not interesting, there is corruption, but in Kyrgyzstan – another matter.”

– And this guide says, you know? A person who creates an impression about the country! All this is happening not because Kyrgyzstan is really better, but because they simply do not know what to tell about 28 Panfilov people, about Shymbulak or Sharyn canyon, – says the President of the Eurasian tourism Association.

In Astana, she continues, Russian guides who come from border cities with tourists on buses for weekend tours often conduct excursions.

– Come, then listen local, then the Internet is something I read and next time have themselves ekskursovod. Then there are such stories: “Astana is not really Kazakhstan. It was a Cossack city in which Russia once invested money.” I heard that the architect of Baiterek was Norman foster, although the local architect Akmurza Rustembekov designed him. Another such story was told. Tourists come to the capital, the guide brings them to Baiterek and says: “Look to the right. On this side, you can see the building of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, where people come to sign contracts. And if you do not agree … Look to the left, here – the Ministry of defense”. What I have not heard over the years! – outraged Karabaev.

The situation with the Chairman of the Association of tourist companies of China, who came to Shymkent last year to the Silk Road forum, was indicative.

– It so happened that for 3 days she had to go to Turkestan three times: the first time as a participant of the infotour, the second – with VIP-guests, the third time it was just an excursion to Turkestan.

What is it in the official info? Which of the guides is true? – asks questions of the form Karabaev.

Where, where? In Karaganda!

The problem could not be, she said, if in Kazakhstan, as in China, the official information about each attraction was determined for the guides.

– Official information, which you can tell the tourists, it is an ideology that is public policy. We cannot agree that the mausoleum of Hazrat Sultan in Turkestan is a part of Uzbekistan. This is the center of the Turkic world, located on the territory of Kazakhstan, and this is how the guides should present it, – the President of the tourist Association insists.

– Each region should have its own official information.

At the same time, the guide, even with a great experience in Mangystau, should not conduct excursions in Shymkent, because in this case knowledge of history, local history, geography, economy, architecture of a particular region is needed.

This is if you work as a dentist, you can treat your teeth in Astana, Semey, Africa or in Europe, because there is no need to obtain additional knowledge related to the place of stay. The guide is quite different.

To avoid information chaos in tourism, Karabayeva proposes to remove foreign illegal immigrants from the Kazakh market, as required by law, and to introduce mandatory training and certification for local guides.

– When I passed training in America, I saw such system: if you want to be the guide, you buy the special textbook, you learn it as traffic rules, then you go to the city hall and you pass there examination. After passing the tests you go to the local Convention Bureau and pass the practice-you get on the bus and act as a guide for the examiners. After that, you go to the tax Committee, pay for the annual patent, come back to the Convention, you are given a token that gives you the right to visit free of charge with tourist groups all the objects-museums, historical sites, etc. D., – the expert explains.Such a process of becoming a guide is an ideal option, says Rysty Karabaeva. It will allow to control the ideological component in the work of guides and, in addition, will bring out of the shadows of this business. At the moment, most of the guides in the country provides services without having the status of sole proprietor, not being in the state of travel companies and not paying taxes.