Kazakh minister reports on new tourism development strategy

The government set the goal of increasing the tourism share of the country’s GDP from the current 1.3 percent to 8 percent by 2023.

01 October 10:26 2018 by monika Print This Article

1.5 trillion tenge (US$4.1 billion), of which 30 percent is from the national budget and 70 percent  private investments: kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly reported the details of a new inbound and outbound tourism development strategy  They include developing a tourism map, establishing a tourism and hospitality university and enhancing access to tourist sites, among other measures.

The map will feature the nation’s major tourist sites. Tourist sites of national priority include Alakol Lake; Almaty region mountain cluster; Balkhash Lake; the Bayanauyl, Imantau and Shalkar areas; Burabai and Schuchinsk resort areas; Charyn Canyon; Mangistau beach; Turkestan and the  MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) in the capital.

“The work will be done to develop the infrastructure of these tourist places. This will require  1.5 trillion tenge (US$4.1 billion), of which 30 percent is from the national budget and 70 percent is private investments,” said Mukhamediuly.

The plan is set at a high level, as the ministry seeks to increase the number of inbound and outbound tourists from the current three million to 13 million visitors per year, create more than 60,000 jobs and attract nearly $6 billion in investments with an added value of $6.5 billion per year.

The government is also planning to establish the university in the capital as a means of boosting the existing human resources and training high quality professionals in the field.

Investors, whose investment portfolio exceeds 4.9 billion tenge (US$13.4 million), will be entitled to tax preferences, including a ten-year exemption from corporate income and land tax and eight-year exemption from property tax.

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