"Tourism should be a sector that gives a new impetus to economic growth. There are places of interest in every region of our country. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately begin work on building the necessary infrastructure, attracting private investors."
Kasym-Jomart Tokayev
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
As a result of systematic measures being implemented in the tourism sector in the country, both the number of tourists visiting Kazakhstan and our position in the world ranking are improving significantly. For example, according to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index, Kazakhstan ranked 52nd out of 119 countries in the list of tourist destinations. In the previous index, Kazakhstan was ranked 66th.
Last year, 15.3 million foreign guests visited Kazakhstan for tourism purposes, excluding those who came for work or permanent residence. Of these, 10.4 million people stayed in the country for more than one day and were classified as foreign tourists. According to official statistics, the average length of stay of foreign guests in our country is 4 days.
According to the National Bank, tourists from far abroad spend an average of 1,500 US dollars during their visit to Kazakhstan. In 2024, foreign tourists spent more than 1.2 trillion tenge on the territory of our country.
It can be observed that the volume of investments in fixed assets in the tourism sector is steadily growing. The volume of investments in the industry for 2019-2024 is as follows:
2019 - 502 billion tenge
2020 - 629 billion tenge
2021 - 593 billion tenge
2022 - 513 billion tenge
2023 - 787 billion tenge
2024 – 947.5 billion tenge
In the period from 2019 to 2024, more than 605 investment projects were implemented in the tourism sector for a total amount of 550 billion tenge, including 87 investment projects successfully completed in 2024.
Among the major investment projects, we can highlight the Makhambet hotel in Shymkent (project cost – 4.9 billion tenge), the Keremet Park family park in Atyrau region (3 billion tenge), as well as the Ak-Zhaiyk recreation area in Almaty region (1.8 billion tenge).
In addition, last year, on the instructions of Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a new type of visa called Neo Nomad was introduced. This visa is intended for modern nomads - foreign tourists who travel and work remotely. When introducing the new visa regime, the international experience of more than 50 countries that have successfully used such programs after the pandemic was taken into account.
Foreign tourists who have received a Neo Nomad visa have the opportunity to stay in Kazakhstan for up to a year. During this time, they can work in foreign companies. This is expected to not only allow tourists to get to know the culture and lifestyle of the country better, but also benefit the country's economy. If the visa is introduced and 500 people receive it per year, the economic impact will be approximately 3.6 billion tenge. Foreign citizens using the visa will live in Kazakhstan and spend their money here. However, it will not affect the domestic labor market. This is an important part of the program.
In general, the tourism potential of Kazakhstan is being successfully promoted in the international arena. According to The New York Times, Almaty is among the top 52 tourist destinations, and according to Lonely Planet magazine, Kazakhstan is included in the list of the best countries to travel to in 2025. In addition, Conde Nast Traveller Italia included the Shymbulak ski resort in its list of TOP-5 preferred destinations.
In addition, CNN Travel recognized Kazakhstan as worthy of a special status, publishing a list of 25 destinations worth traveling to in 2025. In particular, the city of Almaty was included in the list of the best destinations to travel to. The city was called the "capital of a new style" of Central Asia due to its unique atmosphere, combining vast natural landscapes and a developing urban culture.
In the coming years, Kazakhstan will continue to intensively develop the tourism industry and implement large-scale projects and initiatives.
Three major tourist regions have been identified as priority destinations: the Shchuchye-Burabai resort region, the Mangystau resort region and the Almaty mountain cluster.
By 2027, 181 investment projects with a total value of more than 1.1 trillion tenge will be implemented. It is planned to increase the number of people employed in the tourism sector to 800 thousand people and create 10 thousand new jobs in rural areas through the development of agrotourism.
It is planned to increase the number of domestic tourists to 11 million people, increase the bed capacity of accommodation facilities in the country to 280 thousand, as well as introduce all hotels into the eQonaq information system.
In addition, Kazakhstan aims to enter the top 50 countries in the world in the World Economic Forum's Global Travel and Tourism Development Index.
These initiatives will strengthen the country's position in the international tourism arena and open up new opportunities for travelers, businesses, and local communities.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/tsm/press/news/details/949124