In accordance with Clause 5, Article 8 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated November 18, 2015 "On Combating Corruption", which obliges state bodies, organizations, and subjects of the non-state sector to conduct internal corruption risk analysis and take measures to eliminate the causes and conditions conducive to committing corruption offenses, and also in accordance with the "Model Rules for Conducting Internal Corruption Risk Analysis" approved by Order No. 12 of the Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated October 19, 2016, and based on Orders No. 20-L and No. 21-L dated 04.01.2026 of the acting head of the East Kazakhstan Region "East Kazakhstan Region Tourism Department" (hereinafter – EKR Tourism Department), a working group conducted an internal corruption risk analysis for the period from April 2025 to April 2026.

In accordance with Resolution No. 85 of the East Kazakhstan Region Akimat dated April 11, 2025, the structure of the East Kazakhstan Region Akimat was reorganized by separating the EKR "Tourism Department" from the EKR "Entrepreneurship and Industrial-Innovative Development Department".

By Resolution No. 98 of the East Kazakhstan Region Akimat dated April 24, 2025, the Regulations on the EKR "Tourism Department" were approved, and later by Resolution No. 7 of the East Kazakhstan Region Akimat dated January 19, 2026, the Regulations on the EKR "Tourism Department" were approved in a new edition.

The Department oversees the Communal State Institution "East Kazakhstan Region Tourist Information Center" of the East Kazakhstan Region Tourism Department (hereinafter – EKR TIC). This is a non-commercial organization with the status of a legal entity, established in the form of an institution to perform the functions of forming and disseminating information about East Kazakhstan and its tourism potential, promoting the tourism product in the international tourism market and domestically, as well as creating conditions for developing new business entities in the field of tourism activities within the region and providing scientific and methodological support. Tatyana Dugaliyevna Iseneva was appointed as its Head.

According to the Regulations, the EKR Tourism Department carries out its activities in the following areas:

• attracting investments to the region

1) Forming a set of regional investment projects of the region in all sectors of the economy with a value of less than one hundred and fifty thousand monthly calculation indices;

2) Developing the region's investment program to attract investors, taking into account the needs of the region;

3) Organizing the work of the regional investment headquarters, which considers problematic issues of the region's investment projects and ensures decision-making;

4) Ensuring the submission of information on potential and ongoing investment projects within its competence to the authorized state body through the National Digital Investment Platform;

5) Ensuring support for investment projects in the industrial and mining-metallurgical sector included in the set of regional investment projects within its competence on a "single window" principle in interaction with interested institutions;

6) Ensuring the initiation of the process of including investment projects within its competence into the national set of investment projects;

7) Ensuring support for investment projects, including creating a project passport, developing a roadmap, interacting with state bodies and other organizations to provide services to the investor, as well as implementing projects included in the "green corridor";

Tourism development:

1) Development of tourism resources;

2) Improving the quality and accessibility of tourism products and services;

3) Creating a favorable tourism climate;

4) Forming an effective system for promoting the region's tourism potential in domestic and international markets;

5) Improving the system of managing and monitoring the development of the tourism sector;

6) Developing the tourism industry to meet the needs of citizens when traveling;

7) Increasing the income of citizens and the state of the Republic of Kazakhstan and creating new jobs through the development of the tourism industry;

8) Developing international relations;

9) Attracting domestic and foreign investments to the tourism sector of the region and increasing the region's investment attractiveness.

10) Digitalization of the tourism sector, including the development of digital services and platforms in the field of tourism, the use of digital tools to attract investments and develop international cooperation, as well as promoting the tourism potential of the East Kazakhstan Region;

Foreign economic relations:

1) Ensuring activities in the field of strengthening external relations by coordinating the work of regional departments, territorial subdivisions of central state bodies, and city and district akims.

2) Organizing meetings for representatives of the East Kazakhstan Region at republican, interregional, and international events.

3) Organizing official receptions and meetings of foreign delegations with the region's leadership;

The Head of the Department is Yerzhan Altaevich Sembinov, the Deputy Head is Irina Fedorovna Smith.

Identification of corruption risks in regulatory legal acts related to the activities of the analysis object.

During the internal corruption risk analysis, 4 risks were identified:

Risk 1  "Identification of corruption risks in the organizational and managerial activities of the analysis object during the process of providing support to investors"

Indicator – the existence of direct contact between the service provider and the investor during the support process

In accordance with the Entrepreneurial Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a mechanism for providing land plots as natural grants is envisaged to support investors.

The basis for granting a natural grant is an investment agreement signed between the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the investor.

In this case, to apply to the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the investor needs to obtain a preliminary consent letter from the local executive body regarding the land plot.

Currently, preliminary consent letters are issued in paper form, which may lead to the emergence of corruption risks. To eliminate these risks and reduce costs, it is proposed to digitalize the mechanism for signing and issuing preliminary consent letters through an existing or new information system.

We also note the minimal set of documents required from a potential investor, which does not allow for an assessment of the potential investor's financial stability and credibility.

Recommendations: Propose to the Authorized Body, the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regarding the digitalization of procedures for issuing preliminary consent letters within the framework of natural grants for investors, approving an algorithm for providing support to investors, and expanding the list of additional documents for a comprehensive check of the investor's financial risk and credibility.

• Risk 2 "Identification of corruption risks in regulatory legal acts during the provision of the state service 'Licensing for tour operator activity (tour operating activity)'"
• Indicator – the absence of legal regulation of a specific issue in the legal act
• According to paragraph 8 of the list of basic requirements of the rules for providing the state service "Licensing for tour operator activity (tour operating activity)", the service recipient (a legal entity of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/tourism-vko/press/news/details/1212918?lang=kk