The current situation in the field of tourism and issues of implementation of further measures of development of the industry were considered at the Government session, chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov.

Minister of Culture and Sports Askhat Oralov reported that despite the serious consequences of the pandemic, tourism in Kazakhstan recovered last year. The number of domestic tourists increased by 25% and reached 8.6m, which is almost 2m more than the pre-pandemic level. In addition, last year Kazakhstan attracted about 1 million foreign tourists, and this year this figure is expected to increase to 1.4 million people. This demonstrates the growing interest of foreign visitors to Kazakhstan as a tourist destination.

The number of hotels in the country has increased by 284 units, reaching almost 4 thousand. Total bed capacity amounted to more than 203 thousand, having increased by 10 thousand. All places of accommodation for tourists in 2022 earned a total of 183 billion tenge, which is 68% more than in 2021. As a result, a record level of tax revenues from tourism activity was fixed. Indicators for the 1st quarter of this year also show the continuing growth trend in the industry.

The country continues to work on the development of tourism infrastructure. For example, 28 projects worth 27 billion tenge were completed last year. Especially important among them are construction of utilities in Balkhash resort area, construction of highway to warm beach of Aktau city as well as commissioning of Usharal and Urjar airports, which considerably expanded opportunities for air transportation. At present, 83 infrastructure projects worth 439.3 billion tenge are being implemented.

Great attention is also paid to the development of the investment potential of the tourism sector. Thus, more than 360 investment projects worth over 420 billion tenge have been launched since 2019. This year, 115 projects worth 288 billion tenge are being implemented with the creation of 14,500 beds and 2 thousand permanent jobs. In order to stimulate entrepreneurship and business support 7 new measures of state support are introduced in Kazakhstan since last year.

Akims of Mangystau region Nurlan Nogaev, Turkestan region Darkhan Satybaldy, Akmola region Yermek Marzhykpaev told about implementation of tourism projects in regions.

Prime Minister stressed that tourism is a very promising and profitable sector of the economy, which shows constant dynamic growth. Necessary legislative amendments have been introduced in Kazakhstan to provide systematic measures of state support in this sphere. In particular, the Concept of development of tourism industry for 2023-2029 and detailed maps of touristification at the republican and regional levels are aimed at it.

At the same time the world practice of tax refunds for foreign tourists Tax Free was introduced. Much work has been done to expand the list of states, tourists from which can visit Kazakhstan without a visa.

"Undoubtedly, removal of inter-country barriers gives a significant impetus to tourism development. This can be seen in tax revenues. According to the results of last year, taxes from the sphere of tourism amounted to 390 billion tenge - this is almost 1.5 times more than in 2021. In general, we see a growing interest to tourist sites in Kazakhstan," Alikhan Smailov said.

At the same time, he said, criticism about pollution of beaches and tourist areas is heard every year. There are complaints from the population and businesses about the lack of basic amenities, poor access roads, and unsanitary tourist sites. Since the beginning of the season this year has already received over 500 official complaints and appeals to the state authorities on the quality of services.

"Everyone remembers the case when a Kazakh cab driver drove foreign guests from the airport to the hotel for $800. There are complaints about the inflated prices in hotels, in general, the cost of tours and tickets within the country, the service time of tourists," Prime Minister voiced.

According to him, such moments have a negative impact on the country's image, so government agencies and businesses need to promptly address these issues.

"Our task is to increase the pace of infrastructure and logistics development, improve the quality of service in all regions. We must set a goal for ourselves that by 2029 Kazakhstan should occupy no less than 50th place in the ranking of the Global Travel and Tourism Index," Alikhan Smailov said.

In this regard, Prime Minister instructed to accelerate the repair and construction of roads to major tourist locations, to take measures to ensure timely delivery of engineering infrastructure to the tourist sites, as well as to ensure proper sanitary condition and improvement of resort areas.

He also noted the need to publish and distribute booklets, guidebooks and maps of all Kazakh sites with an indication of tariffs for services and strengthen security measures at tourist sites.

#Alikhan Smailov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #Government session #Ministry of Culture #Regions #Tourism