EVALUATION OF KAZAKHSTAN'S INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSETS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF CREATIVE TOURISM

Abstract

Creative tourism, which has emerged in recent years as a reflection of the concept of the creative economy, stands out as a type of tourism that offers tourists who want to develop their creative potential the opportunity to learn and enhance the characteristics of the holiday destination they visit through active participation. Unlike the classical tourism concept, where natural and tangible cultural heritage assets are presented as touristic products and tourists remain passive, creative tourism activities primarily use intangible cultural heritage assets as touristic products. These activities allow tourists to actively participate, interact with the local people, and learn by doing, offering new alternatives to tourists with different expectations. Through creative tourism, it is possible to highlight the cultural values of destinations and use these cultural values as marketing tools. Additionally, the satisfaction of tourists participating in creative tourism activities may increase, positively affecting their intentions to revisit and recommend the destination. Creative tourism, which is highly compatible with the concept of sustainable tourism, provides advantages in preventing the overuse of resources and distributing tourism revenues to the local population. This study aims to address the concepts of creative tourism and intangible cultural heritage and evaluate the usability of intangible cultural heritage elements in the Turkistan Region within the scope of creative tourism. The study also includes Kazakhstan's intangible cultural heritage elements listed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is believed that the Turkistan Region has significant potential for creative tourism. Additionally, the study develops suggestions for creative tourism activities in the Turkistan Region and discusses the potential benefits for the region.