Golestan eyes Kazakh medical tourists through Aktau air link
Iran’s northern Golestan Province is stepping up plans to attract visitors from Kazakhstan by expanding medical and cultural tourism around the direct Gorgan-Aktau flight, provincial tourism officials said after talks with Kazakhstan's Consul General Yerbol Abanuly Akhmetov in Gorgan on Wednesday.
Yaser Ghandehari, deputy director for tourism at Golestan's Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said the direct air route has created "a valuable opportunity" to increase visitor flows and launch joint tourism initiatives between northeastern Iran and western Kazakhstan, CHTN reported.
He identified medical tourism as the partnership's top priority, saying Golestan's healthcare infrastructure positions the province as a potential destination for Kazakh patients.
Ghandehari said specialized meetings bringing together travel agencies, universities and medical centers will be organized to develop joint tourism programs, with similar initiatives planned in Kazakhstan.
The official also called for stronger private-sector participation in designing joint travel packages, saying tourism businesses should play a larger role in cultural events to translate people-to-people exchanges into sustainable economic opportunities.
Ghandehari said training would underpin the initiative, with universities and academic institutions from both sides expected to cooperate on language instruction, cultural awareness and professional tourism education to improve services for international visitors.
The Gorgan-Aktau direct flight, launched in June 2025, became the first scheduled air connection between Golestan Province and western Kazakhstan, opening a new corridor for tourism and business travel across the Caspian Sea.
Golestan is home to one of Iran's largest ethnic Kazakh communities, whose shared language, traditions, music, traditional attire and handicrafts have long linked the province with Kazakhstan. Those cultural affinities have increasingly been incorporated into tourism planning, including Iran-Kazakhstan cultural nights held during the 17th International Festival of Iran's Ethnic Groups in Gorgan in November 2025.