Tourism generates $858 million in tax revenue in Kazakhstan

According to the Ministry of Culture and Sport, this year Kazakhstan’s tourism generated more than $858 million in tax revenue, a record high for Kazakhstan.

How much money did the country’s budget receive from tourism this year? The country’s hotel industry earned $403.6 million, while the entire tourism sector hit the record and generated about $855 million in tax revenue.

How many foreign tourists have visited Kazakhstan? Last year, about one million foreign tourists visited the country.

What benefits do foreign tourists bring to Kazakhstan? Each foreign tourist creates at least two jobs in Kazakhstan. According to the National Bank, one foreign tourist accounts for $1,500 of one’s income within the country on average.

«Over the past two years, the number of people employed in Kazakhstan’s tourism sector has significantly increased, reaching almost 500,000. By 2029, the Ministry of Culture and Sports plans to provide jobs in the sphere of tourism for at least 800,000 people,» Vice Minister of Culture and Sport Yerzhan Yerkinbayev said.

How do the country’s authorities plan to develop tourism in Kazakhstan? The government wants Kazakhstan to be among the 50 countries that are global leaders in terms of tourism, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) rating.

The ministry has set an ambitious goal to boost the number of domestic and foreign tourists up to eleven million and four million people, respectively. The number of jobs that will be created within the industry is expected at 800,000.

In order to reboot the industry the government plans to upgrade the tourist infrastructure at ten popular destinations and improve service quality.

In the latest WEF report, Kazakhstan was ranked 66th, which is 14 positions better than the results of the 2019 report. At the time, the country was ranked 80th.