Up to 9 million domestic tourists expected in Kazakhstan this year

Preparation for the tourist season and problematic issues of the development of resort areas were discussed at a meeting in the government

Preparations for the tourist season and problematic issues in the development of resort areas were discussed at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Altai Kulginov, primeminister.kz reports.

The country's tourism industry has recovered from the pandemic. At the end of 2022, the number of domestic tourists increased by 1.7 million people compared to the previous year, reaching 8.6 million. It is predicted that the number of Kazakhstanis who decide to take a holiday inside the country this year may reach 9 million people.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the number of hotels in the country has approached 4,000. They can accommodate over 203,000 tourists at a time.

Among the problematic issues hindering the development of the tourism sector is the quality of roads. At the meeting, the need was voiced for the speedy completion of the repair of roads Almaty-Ust-Kamenogorsk, Astana-Balkhash-Almaty, Kyzylorda-Zhezkazgan, which will attract more tourists to the resort areas of these regions.

To increase the air accessibility of Lake Alakol, it was instructed to increase the frequency of flights and attract more spacious aircraft for transportation. These measures are expected to significantly increase the number of Kazakhs arriving by air.

“There are many beautiful places in the republic that attract tourists. Taking into account the special attention from the head of state, as well as incoming questions from the population and business, it is necessary to improve the quality of service and increase investments. The tourism sector has great potential. Its development will create new jobs, increase budget revenues,” Altai Kulginov noted.

The Deputy Prime Minister instructed to provide all railway lines with high-quality rolling stock. Following the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister focused on the need for high-quality preparation for the tourist season, creating favorable conditions for regional business.