Story by: Sricharan R
Having concluded an impressive leg through the inaugural edition of Busworld SouthEast Asia, in Jakarta, in March 2019, Busworld is all set to reach out to stakeholders of the bus and coach industry in Central Asia for the first time ever. Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis, Almaty, will host the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019 between June 24-27, 2019 at the Atakent Expo. Befitting of a trade and cultural hub, Almaty is at the heart of Central Asia. It is where Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country and former Soviet republic is fast catching up as a strong economy accounting for 60 per cent of the GDP. No wonder then that the region was identified as a major attraction for potential bus and coach manufacturers, bodybuilders, ancillaries and specialist service providers. With a population of around 18.5 million people, of which 50 per cent alone are known to live in urban areas, the region is already invested in new low floor vehicles from regions across Western Europe, China and Korea.
Exhibitors from different categories including body components, chassis manufacturer, drivetrain, electrical and electronics, hardware, interiors, IT systems will be present at the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019. Among participants that the over 2000 visitors likely to descend at Atakent Expo can look forward to coming across are companies like Kamaz Trade, Anadolu Isuzu Otomotiv, Astana Motor, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, JV Man Auto, Samauto, Voith Turbo Limited among others. On the sidelines of the expo, Busworld Academy, the worldwide knowledge platform of Busworld, will organise a seminar. As a repository of bus and coach industry megatrends, it will provide an opportunity for bus and coach experts, futurists and representatives of state authorities to exchange views and expand their network. Participation in panel discussions, meetings and round tables will give participants an opportunity to gain firsthand insights from market experts and representatives of government agencies besides the associations and councils expected to attend.
With the Kazakhstan government known to be heavily investing in the transport and logistics infrastructure as per the recently announced 2050 strategy blueprint, Kazakhstan aims to be among the top 30 global economies of the world, in a 30-year time span. Riding this growth wave, Kazakhstan, according to Askar Mamin, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, offers a favourable business climate in the region. Speaking at the panel session of KGIR-2019, averred Prime Minister Mamin, “The influx of foreign investment in Kazakhstan rose to USD 24 billion in 2018. With a favourable business climate and a renewed focus on new and promising industries like commercial vehicles expected to spur the economic growth going forward, Busworld Central Asia 2019 promises to lay a strong foundation for inclusive growth led by the latest in the bus and coach segment. For instance, the new buses and coaches, targeting the rising tourist activity in Almaty, as well as a comprehensive program of tourism development until 2020, will prove to be essential for the stable development of transport infrastructure provisioning including new bus routes, new bus and coach services and fleets.
