Development of Top 10 Tourism Destinations of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is rich in unique cultural sites, historical and cultural attractions that can draw millions of tourists to the country each year. The development of the sector is one of the main objectives set by the country’s government. For this purpose, a special state program has been developed for 2019-2025, which will focus on the promotion of the Top 10 tourist destinations. The cities of Nur-Sultan and Turkistan, the resort areas of Burabai, Imantau-Shalkar and Bayanauyl, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Mangystau region, lakes Alakol and Balkhash, as well as the mountain cluster of Almaty region are among them.

“We discussed these locations with business, the market, and local administrations. There were 500 destinations, then 100, then Top 50, Top 25, and finally we chose the Top 10. These Top 10 sites were chosen according to their potential - the number of tourists they can receive. Every destination can serve over a million tourists a year. We should strive to reach this goal. Such activities are included in our state program. We will focus on them,” said Managing Director of ‘Kazakh Tourism’ Talgat Amanbayev.

Experts say that, to date, these destinations are the key areas of tourism development. Each of them has its own individuality, distinctive product, and, in general, development potential. Also, the informational promotion of these tourism destinations by bloggers and journalists will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the industry development.

“Indeed, informative tours are among our annual events. This year we had to postpone many promotional tours due to COVID-19 pandemic. We have already conducted such tours in Almaty and Akmola regions, and we also hope to conduct them in Turkistan and East Kazakhstan regions. Definitely, this has its own advantages,” emphasized Talgat Amanbayev.