Kazakhstan’s
inbound tourism is on the rise. The influx of foreign tourists has more than
doubled in the first three months of the year, a surge of 130,000 people
compared to last year. Overall, the country has welcomed around 228,000 foreign
travelers, and this was not even during the traditionally appealing summer
season. Experts view this as a very good indicator.
“Around one million
foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan last year. This year, this figure is
expected to grow to 1.4 million people, reflecting an increasing interest among
international visitors in the country as a tourist destination. In fact, since
the start of summer, the number of foreign nationals arriving in Kazakhstan has
tripled compared to the same period last year,” said Akmaral Menlibek, spokesperson
for the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Thus, last year
alone, Kazakhstan generated 572 billion tenge through tourism. On average, a
single foreign tourist brings in revenue of around $1,500. It bears noting that
domestic hotels earned over 43 billion tenge in the first three months of this
year.
“According to the
National Bank of Kazakhstan, a single foreign tourist visiting Kazakhstan
generates an average income of $1,500 and contributes to the creation of two
jobs. Last year, the country welcomed around one million foreign visitors,
resulting in a record tax revenue of 389 billion tenge from tourism activities,
along with a total income of 183 billion tenge for domestic accommodation
estabslishments,” said Nurtas Bailarov, spokesperson for the Kazakh Ministry of
Culture and Sports.
Overall, Kazakh
residents themselves are increasingly choosing to travel within the country and
are opting for vacations abroad less frequently. Thus, the number of domestic
tourists reached nearly 1,350,000 from January to March alone.
