The exhibitors include 115 companies from 22 countries of the world, including Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Kenya, Catalan, Russia, Seychelles, Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and UAE. The number of exhibitors, compared to that in 2002, has increased by 40%. The area covered by the exposition has increased by 30%. The exhibition hosts expect not less than 8,000 interested visitors to come from adjacent countries, from Kazakhstan regions, and from other nations. Companies' presentations and presentations of individual projects are planed to be made within the program of KITF 2003.

     The KITF 2003 exhibitors: Group of Swiss companies; Austrian National Travel Organisation; Hungarian National Travel Organisation; Eurasia Tour - Crimean National Stand; TurEspana - National Travel Organisation of Spain and Catalan; Thai Tourism Department. First-time exhibitors will be Niscotex Trading Company, Agence Marina Meltseva, BTA Insurance Company OJSC, Central Asian Tourism Corporation (CAT), HTL, Al Fanar Tourism & Cargo, Incotrade, Air-Astana CJSC, Alpha Tours LLC, Alliance of Tourism Services Co. Ltd., Songklod Tour Group Co. Ltd, Zeren Recreation Centre, Edelweiss-Tour, Planet Travel Tours & Cargo, Quality Tours, Leader Travel Agency, Geo Tourism, ATS-Kazakhstan, Farab Travel Agency, Diesenhaus Galilee Tours Ltd., Casio Tours, Riviera, Marienbad Kur+Spa Hotels, 7o South Seychelles, Silk Way-Kazakhstan Co Ltd. National Travel Agency and others.

     The traditional KITF 2003 exhibitors include: Astana Tourism and Sports Committee, South Kazakhstan Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, Kyzyl-Orda Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, North Kazakhstan Department of Tourism and Sports, Karaganda Regional Sports and Tourism Committee, West Kazakhstan Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, East Kazakhstan Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, Pavlodar Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, Akmola Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, Kostanai Regional Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, Atyrau Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, Mangistau Regional Department of Tourism and Sports, and others.

     For the first time in the Republic of Kazakhstan, tourism was declared a branch of economy. With the Government Resolution dated 29 December 2002 the Programme for Development of the Tourism Industry for the Period 2003 through 2005 was adopted. Its major target is to establish a modern highly effective and competitive tour complex, provide wider opportunities for satisfying the needs of Kazakhstani people and expatriates in terms of various travel services, develop economic and legal mechanisms for developing the tour industry and implementing government-level undertakings aimed at assuring quality of Kazakhstan tour product. The programme also seeks to create the image of Kazakhstan as an attractive object of tourism, favourable image of the national tour product, and assuring its quality up to the world standards. It is also aimed at integrated development of tourism by means of supporting and selecting optimal methods for government regulation of the tour industry.

     The 3rd Kazakhstan International Tourism & Travels Fair KITF 2003 is one of the undertakings intended to contribute to implementation of the Programme for Development of the Tourism Industry and attract investment into this sector of economy.

     According to the information provided by RoK Statistics Agency, during the year 2001 Kazakhstan travel agencies had serviced 154.5 thousand tourists and excursionists. Over the 1st half of 2002, compared to a similar period in 2001, entry tourism had increased almost 9-fold (from 1,652 up to 14,761 people). By now, 544 business entities have received the general license that entitles them to engage in tour services and activities. The travel market is represented by small businesses (up to 50 employees) - over 92.7% of the market; medium-size (from 51 to 250 employees) - 6.1%; and large companies - 1.2%.

     Tourism is a world-wide industry whose growth rates are leading. According WTO information, over the past 16 years the revenues gained from international tourism have increased by average 9% per year, and in the year 2000 reached the figure of USD 476 billion. The exhibition organisers, RoK Tourism and Sports Agency, ITE Group PLC, and Kazakhstani Iteca Ltd., are confident that owing to the efforts of the organisers, government agencies, exhibitors and visitors, the annual Kazakhstan Tourist Fair KITF will enhance the broadening of the commercial and economic ties, increase the interest of investors of the business world towards the capacities of the country, and considerably contribute to development of the tourism infrastructure in Kazakhstan.

     Jointly with the RoK Tourism and Sports Agency, the exhibition is organised by Iteca, the exclusive partner of international commercial and exhibition company ITE Group PLC (UK) in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. ITE Group annually holds 325 trade exhibitions and conferences in 32 countries servicing more than 50,000 corporate clients and receiving more than 2.5 million visitors. ITE-staged exhibitions are characterised by the highest international level of organisation which makes them appear as outstanding events in all spheres of economy. They have fairly deserved acclaim of governmental agencies and industrial associations. ITE Group PLC maintains a number of international tourism exhibitions in Russia (MITT), Turkey (EMITT), Czech Republic (Holiday World), Uzbekistan (TITF), Azerbaijan (AITF), Ukraine (UITT) and other countries.