Kazakhstan targets €10 billion tourism revenue and 15 million visitors by 2029

With more than 7.5 million international visitors in the first half of 2025 – an increase of 600,000 compared to 2024 – the tourism industry is growing exponentially. Efforts are scheduled to further increase over the coming years, which should turn the Kazakh tourism industry into a €10 billion business and lead to 15 million yearly visitors by 2029. In order the reach those targets, several initiatives have been put in place.

At the moment of writing, Kazakhstan occupies the 52^nd place on the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index. This position was in part obtained thanks to a growth of 20% in tourism investments over 2024, totalling €1.6 billion annually. For example, 100 new hotels opened their doors over the course of 2024, and revenues grew by 30%. The Neo Nomad Visa, allowing citizens from 48 countries to work and travel in Kazakhstan for up to a year, also contributed to the growth.

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Four key areas for the tourism industry

While Kazakhstan is targeting agricultural, business, shopping, event, and eco-centred tourism all at once, President Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev recently raised concerns about the state of many tourist destinations around the country, more particularly their lack of basic infrastructure and amenities. This may deter international tourists from visiting the country and thus complicate the growth of the tourism industry.

In an interview with Euronews, Acting Chairman of the national travel company Kazakh Tourism Daniyel Serzhanuly explained how the organisation has been working on four different areas to reach the 15 million annual visitors target by 2029.

• Air connectivity: thanks to the country’s open sky regime, 20 new flight routes have been added over the past few years, and an extra 30 will be opened over the coming years. Three new airports are scheduled to open in the near future, all located close to existing resort areas: Zaisan, Katon-Karagai, and Kendirly. Direct flights will connect them to Almaty, Astana, and other major cities. Construction works on the sites have already started.
• Visa-free regime: Kazakhstan’s visa waiver list currently includes 87 countries across the globe.
• Modernisation of the infrastructure at natural and historical sites: including the Kalan-Karagay National Park (the country’s largest national park), the ultra hiking route near Almaty (spanning over a distance of 1,200 kilometres), and the Baikonur Cosmodrome. At Baikonur, Kazakh Tourism will be focusing on educational, cultural, event-based, and adventurous tours all at once.
• Development of new tools: a super app with an AI-powered assistant is scheduled to provide tourists with information about verified services of all kinds, including local taxi rides, SIM cards, hotel bookings, and events.

Earlier this year, the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information stated that UNESCO is expected to add 11 more of Kazakhstan’s monuments to the World Heritage List in 2026, thus boosting the tourism potential of the country. At the moment, Kazakhstan is home to six sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List: the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Petroglyphs of Tamgaly, Saryarka, the Western Tien-Shan, the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, and a portion of the Silk Roads known as the Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor. 

“These are our national treasures. We must turn all of them into centres that attract tourists. Such monuments should be introduced to the world. They need to be featured in films and programs, included in books and school textbooks. They should also be widely promoted at exhibitions and forums,” said Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov at the time.

Train network development

Despite the development of those four key areas of the tourism industry, accessing some of the most remote tourist sites can remain challenging. Kazakh authorities have, however, been working on improving the rail service to resolve that problem. For example, 250 new railway carriages were added to the system over the past two years, and an extra 226 will join them in 2025.

According to Anuar Akhmetzhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Board at the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, several trains have been added to the schedule to facilitate access to remote areas. This applies to popular destinations such as Balkhash, Burabai, and Alakol.

Aside from national services, a new train connecting Kazakhstan to other destinations in Central Asia is scheduled to boost tourism over the coming years. The connection allows tourists to travel at night, while they may use the daytime to explore some of the major cities on the route. The first train between China and Kazakhstan was also introduced, which should be connected to the Central Asia line in the future. Cross-border travel has also been facilitated, as border control takes place inside the train, thus making the voyage more comfortable for travellers.