{"id":75115,"date":"2018-07-06T09:34:56","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T07:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=75115"},"modified":"2018-07-23T12:14:10","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T10:14:10","slug":"astana-promises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/astana-promises","title":{"rendered":"Astana: a promising adolescence"},"content":{"rendered":"

It's not often that you land in a business city that's younger than you are. But that's the case with Astana, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary on 6 July<\/strong>commemorating the day on which the city replaced Almaty<\/strong> as the capital of Kazakhstan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A teenage capital<\/strong> The city is still growing, as evidenced by the many building projects currently underway. The buildings are growing vertically, while the extra-wide avenues on the ground are reminiscent of the Soviet era: this is the abscissa and ordinate of a business destination that is establishing itself as a leading hub in Europe. Central Asia<\/strong>and beyond.<\/p>\n

However, the transfer of economic sovereignty<\/strong> from Almaty is still underway. The local population is often originally from the former capital, in a way perpetuating the tradition. nomad<\/strong> of the Kazakh people. As for foreign visitors, they often come for economic rather than tourist reasons.<\/p>\n

Blessed with natural beauty, Kazakhstan has much to attract business travellers. Oil, gas, uranium<\/strong> The subsoil is brimming with strategic resources. \"The Kazakhs have Mendeleyev's table under their feet<\/em>It's a great place to live\", says an agricultural engineer used to travelling to Astana, with a touch of humour. An abundance of goods does no harm: it has given the President Nazarbayev<\/strong> resources to match its ambitions, equipping the capital with XXL infrastructure designed by leading architects. global stars of architecture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For the time being, the facilities in the business district on the left bank of the River Ichim<\/strong> seem excessive. But they are paving the way for Astana to become a key crossroads on the New Silk Road<\/strong>. The symbol of this ambition is theInternational exhibition<\/strong> in 2017, built to the south of the brand-new business district. After helping to place the destination on the world atlas, it is now set to welcome a brand new \"Astana Financial Center<\/strong>. Clearly, you can have oil, but you can also have ideas...<\/p>\n

GETTING THERE<\/h1>\n

The only direct flight between Paris and Astana is operated by the national airline Air Astana<\/strong>In partnership with Air France or Lufthansa, this new service offers three flights a week from Paris-CDG on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and from five provincial cities. The 6.15-hour flight is operated by a Boeing 757 whose configuration can be adapted to the occupancy rate: in addition to economy and business classes, there is also an offer of Economy Sleeper<\/strong>The Air Astana seat, in a cabin at the front of the aircraft, offers a low-cost business travel experience, allowing passengers to lie down on a mattress fitted to the three seats in a row. These facilities have enabled Air Astana to be named by Skytrax<\/strong> as \"best airline in Central Asia\" since 2012. Since last year, Astana airport has been equipped with an all-new new terminal<\/strong> dedicated to international flights and equipped with a business lounge. Another project underway is a rail link between the airport and the city centre.<\/p>\n

  • \"Air<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n