AUTHENTICITY AND ECOCULTURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN: POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES - Tourism in Central Asia: Cultural Potential and Challenges - page 61

(2004, p. 251) advocate, funding may be the most practical constraint,
and “outside funding, such as from nongovernmental organizations or na-
tional, regional and local governments may be first required to develop
and maintain ecocultural tourism in the short-term.”
Kazakhstan recently celebrated its 20 years of gaining independence
and the country has come a long way since the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The country faced numerous challenges in the search for self-iden-
tification and in determining their place in the global arena. The national
image of Kazakhstan has been a subject of concern for the country's gov-
ernment and a lot of resources and effort has been put into developing a
strong country image, however, the brand is still in its infancy stage (Saun-
ders, 2008). In order to develop a truly effective and recognizable national
brand, local tourism providers should include the concept of authenticity
in Kazakhstan's country branding strategy as a mean to propose a unique
tourism destination on the international market. This approach applied to
Kazakhstani ecocultural tourism practices can help shaping the nation's
brand identity and position the country as a destination that favors tour-
ism experiences based on crafted tours emphasizing genuine Kazakhstani
cultural heritage.

KEYWORDS

• Authenticity

• Challenges

• Commodification

• Country branding

• Ecocultural tourism development

• Kazakhstan

• Potential

REFERENCES

Anholt , S. (2002). Foreword. Journal of Brand Management, 9 (4-5), 229-239.
Anholt, S. (2007). Competitive Identity: The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and
Regions . New York: Palgrave Macmillian.