VELOR Academy of Hospitality & Service

30 April 2026 marked the official opening of VELOR Academy of Hospitality & Service in Astana — a practice-oriented educational platform designed for the hospitality and service industry.

As part of the ceremony, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed with the Swiss School of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management 🎓🇨🇭
The opening ceremony was attended by key representatives of the industry and government, including Serik Maratovich Zharasbayev, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Yulia Konstantinovna Yakupbayeva, Chairwoman of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Atameken”; and Artyom Dmitrievich Kvashuk, Chairman of the Board of Astana Tourism, alongside representatives of diplomatic missions, experts in education, hospitality and service, restaurateurs, and hoteliers.

Guests were introduced to the Academy’s concept, educational programmes, training classrooms, as well as the Hotel Room Simulation and Front Office Lab — specialised spaces where learning takes place in an environment closely reflecting real operational conditions.

The establishment of the Academy is a direct response to one of the industry’s key challenges: the pace of market development is now significantly outstripping the preparation of qualified professionals. As a result, businesses are facing inconsistent service standards, high staff turnover, and lengthy employee adaptation periods.

According to international forecasts, the global shortage of personnel in the tourism sector could exceed 43 million people by 2035, including up to 9 million hospitality professionals. Against this backdrop, demand for modern practice-oriented educational formats continues to grow rapidly.

VELOR Academy of Hospitality & Service is positioned as a platform that bridges education and business and represents an important step forward in the development of the hospitality industry across Central Asia.