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Last month, following our coverage of the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE), we pointed out how Central Asia is becoming a potential growth centre for global tourism, especially given the shift from conflict-stricken West Asia and the politically-charged climate in North America.

Of the nations located within the region, Kazakhstan is emerging as a major player where travel and tourism are concerned.

Indeed, per a report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published on 28th April, Kazakhstan is leading the way in terms of sustainable tourism, having welcomed close to four million visitors to its key natural attractions as of end-2025.

Of these attractions, Burabay National Park recorded the highest number of visitors at 1,285,251 over the past year.

But Kazakhstan is more than just ecotourism or adventure tourism in its fabled steppes; the country is also seeking to become a regional leader when it comes to both cultural and sports tourism.

What does Kazakhstan have going for it?

To understand Kazakhstan’s drive to become a major tourism player in both Central Asia and the Greater Asian Continent is to take a step back and consider the big picture.

Last year, the Kazakh government invested US$2.5 billion into its tourism industry, essentially a 32 percent year-on-year increase for the sectoral budget.

As a result, the country reported a 12 percent increase in foreign tourists, a development which enabled it to rise from 66th to 52nd place in the World Economic Forum’s Global Tourism Index; the country also seeks to breach through and make it to the index’s top 50 within the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, a greater number of Kazakhs have also been keen on exploring their own country, with six million of them venturing to key locations for leisure, especially in winter.

With all these developments happening, it isn’t surprising that Kazakhstan earned US$318 million in tourism revenues as of end-2024 and the number continues to rise along with the influx of global travellers.

Building for the world

Infrastructure is key to Kazakhstan’s success in the tourism industry, and there are currently 328 ongoing tourism investment projects throughout the country.

The past year also saw the entry of global hospitality players Hilton and Mandarin Oriental on top of developments like the Oi-Karagai Mountain Resort, Zhibek Zholy Entertainment Complex, and a roadside accommodation services chain called Keruen Inn.

Such developments stand to hire up to 10,000 permanent positions for employment whilst boosting the economies of local communities.

Sports tourism is another major area for growth, what with the Comprehensive Development Plan for the Almaty Mountain Cluster.

This developmental blueprint covers the expansion of ski resorts within the vicinity whilst uniting them under a single management system to increase the number of tourists from 1.8 million to five million per annum.

Among the areas for development under the Plan are the Shymbulak ski base and Medeu high-altitude skating rink, both of which are within close proximity to the capital Almaty.

The Plan also includes improvements for transportation into the area via 30 new cable cars on top of 161km of safe and professionally managed ski slopes.

There is, alas, a catch…

But while all this development is well and good, the Kazakh government also needs to find solutions for a number of issues that could hamper the growth of its tourism industry.

Infrastructure remains a critical need in many parts of Kazakhstan, especially in rural areas that have potential to become cultural or adventure tourism hubs.

Service quality is also a challenge for the country as truly world-class hospitality and tourism workers can only be found in its urban centres; even then, these professionals struggle to communicate with foreign travellers as they lack training in third languages like English and Mandarin Chinese.

But with Kazakhstan’s inbound arrival numbers growing at a rapid clip, perhaps it’s time for the country to step up its game and finally rise to its full potential as the region’s key hub for travel and tourism.

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