Kazakhstan has
increasingly drawn the attention of international travelers. In the first half
of 2023 alone, a quarter of a million foreign nationals visited the country for
tourism purposes, and 266,000 for business purposes, according to the Bureau of
National Statistics. Tourist arrivals from India to Kazakhstan surged sixfold,
and there was a 43.5% increase in visitors from China. Tourists from South
Korea chose Kazakhstan as their new travel destination three times more often,
while travelers from the U.S. and Uzbekistan did so 1.7 times more frequently,
and from the UK 1.5 times more often. The most popular destinations were the
cities of Almaty, Astana, and the Akmola region. Vacationers opted for hotels,
one-story bungalows, chalets and cottages, with hostels and tourist camps being
less favored. The largest number of tourist arrivals, exceeding one million
people, was recorded in the Almaty mountain cluster. Around 163,000 tourists
visited the Mangystau resort area, and over 132,000 tourists traveled to the
Shchuchye-Burabai resort area.
