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Hill International Supports Tourism Development in Aktau

On the shores of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, the Aktau Resort Hotel is rising. Hill International is expanding its legacy of successfully implemented projects in the country by supporting the Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund (KIDF) Management Company and Aktau Tourism City Ltd. (ATC) with the development of this resort. Specifically, Hill is providing client representative services to KIDF and ATC by managing contracts, managing costs, reviewing designs, scheduling, and leading the procurement process.

The first stage of the resort’s construction has been carried out on 160,000 SM of land along a 3-KM coastline. Along with 500 rooms (462 standard rooms, 22 luxury rooms, 1 presidential room, and 15 bungalows), the $170-million investment will be complete with amenities such as villas, a heated swimming pool, a children’s water park, a golf zone, a soccer field, and a tennis court. Upon its opening, scheduled for summer of 2020, the facility will create approximately 2,000 jobs.

The completed hotel and tourist complex will be conveniently located 19 KM from the city, 42 KM from Aktau Airport, 12 KM from Aktau’s seaport, and 21 KM from the Mangistau railway station. The pristine state of the coastal location will prove itself an asset when tourists enjoy kilometers of open, natural beaches.

As one of the first investments made by the KIDF in the hospitality industry, the Aktau Resort Hotel is part of national plans to develop tourism infrastructure along the Caspian Sea. In fact, the new hotel is being developed in one of Kazakhstan’s top ten priority tourist areas. The Aktau Resort Hotel represents a major step forward in ongoing initiatives to build nearly 50 hotels and thereby extend tourism for more than 60 KM along the picturesque Caspian coast. Hill Project Director Altug Karagoz affirms this, saying: “The Aktau Resort is an important first step for the hospitality industry in West Kazakhstan. Our clients have targeted an exceptional strip along the coast for development. And I can say that, while working out here, I have seen why. It’s a very beautiful seafront area.”

While innovation does characterize the Aktau Resort in the context of Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, Hill’s support of the nation’s initiatives is by no means new. During the last decade, Hill has consistently been involved in the country’s most prestigious projects, spanning several markets. Former projects include the Saint Regis Hotel and Residences, one of the most prestigious hospitality-sector projects to be implemented in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan. Nearby, Hill provided program/project management services for the construction of the iconic EXPO 2017 site. Currently Hill is offering project management services to the Astana-20 State Fund for the construction of the Nur-Sultan Grand Mosque. Planned to be the largest mosque in Central Asia at 57,000 SM, the Grand Mosque will shape the landscape of Kazakhstan’s capital city. The massive cultural structure will be a religious hub for the nation’s Muslims and a point of pride for Kazakhstan.

“It is a great honor for Hill International to sustain Kazakhstan’s future development plans and partner with the KIDF,” says Serdar Gucar, Hill’s Vice President and Managing Director for Turkey and CIS. “We look forward to maintaining our successful track record in the country by offering our international expertise for the new development in Aktau,” Gucar adds. Travelers and local residents, too, can look forward to the completion of the Aktau Resort.

Watch a short video here.

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