Kazakhstan names average ticket price for EXPO-2017

The price of tickets to the EXPO-2017 to be held in Kazakhstan's Astana will start at 28 euro, Tengrinews reports citing the Chairman of the Board of Astana EXPO-2017 National Company that runs the preparations for the EXPO-2017 Talgat Yermegiyaev.

Still there is no fixed price yet, because it will largely depend on the ticket sales. 

Talgat Yermegiyav said that Kazakhstan expected to receive 283 million euro in profit from the EXPO-2017. According to Head of the Commercialization and Investment Department of Astana EXPO-2017 National Company Yerzhan Meiramov, 81% of the expected profit will come from sponsors and ticket sales.

According to preliminary estimations, the total number of visits of Kazakhstan's EXPO-2017 will exceed 5 million people. In this case, the ticket sales will bring more than 81 million euro, he said.

“The average price of the tickets that we submitted in the registration dossier was 28 euro and up. This will influence the amount of profit that the EXPO will generate. We expect to earn 283 million euro. If the ticket is purchased three months ahead of the event, there will be one price, if it is purchased later, the price will be different. There will be discounts for underprivileged groups of people,” Talgat Yermegiyaev said at the press conference during the Future Energy Forum that took place in Astana on October 23-24.

He also spoke about accommodation for participants of the exhibition. “We are building a hotel for participants at the expense of the investment funds. It will be a five star hotel located at the EXPO territory. We have a special department to deal with hotels. If hotels raise prices too high, no one will be staying there. We want to sign a memorandum with all the hotels where we expect our visitors to stay. I think they will offer discount. We also plan to construct 1300 apartments at the EXPO territory that will be used to accommodate the participants,” he said.

Besides, Talgat Yermegiyaev noted that the negotiations with the investors would start only next year. “We are working on the sponsors and developing the program on what we can offer to each sponsor. The main work will be done next year,” he explained.

First Deputy Foreign Minister Rapil Zhoshybayev said that invitations to participate in the EXPO-2017 in Kazakhstan had already been sent out to more than 142 countries. “We are now negotiating participation of these countries. As the Commissioner of the exhibition, I have started visiting countries to invite them and sign agreements on their participation in the EXPO. We have received around 10 confirmations from countries already. But we are expecting the maximum number of visitors in relation to EXPO next year. More than 200 participants from 86 countries visited Kazakhstan during the meeting of the international participants of the EXPO-2017. Next year we will visit more than 80 countries and we expect to receive confirmations of their participation. In 2016, we plan to visit around 30-35 countries to invite them to the exhibition,” he said.

Astana hosted the Future Energy Forum on October 23-24 which brought together more than 500 leading energy experts from businesses, international organizations and NGOs to discuss the climate change, environmental and energy security, investments in projects that reduce CO2 emissions, which is one of the EXPO-2017 sub-themes.

The first EXPO International Planning Meeting took place in Astana on October 22-23. This was the first event organized by Kazakhstan since its was officially chosen as the host of the exhibition at the 155th session of the General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau in Paris. The top management of the International Exhibitions Bureau, Secretariat staff of the Commissioner of the Expo, as well as more than 200 representatives from 86 countries who have received official invitations to participate in EXPO 2017 attended the two-day meeting, which, according to organizers, would be held annually until the beginning of the EXPO-2017.

The EXPO-2017 will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan from June 10 to September 10. Astana expects participants from over 100 countries, 10 international organizations and leading companies in innovative technologies. The city will host over 3000 cultural events during the exhibition.

Reporting by Asemgul Kasenova, writing by Assel Satubaldina, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina