Kazakhstan reports more tax revenue generated by tourism

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that the state budget received $423 million of tax revenues from tourism activities over the first six months of this year.

Data comparison. According to the agency, over the first half of this year, the sphere of tourism brought 10.4% higher tax revenue than the same period last year ($319 million).

Tax revenue was at a record high of $640 million for the entire year of 2022.

What was going on in this industry before the pandemic? According to Moldir Abdualieva, the official representative of the ministry, the current tax revenue from tourism activities has significantly exceeded the pre-pandemic figures. For example, in 2019, the agency reported $416.6 million in total, which is almost half as much as last year.

«The volume of services provided by Kazakhstan’s hospitality industry is also growing. Over the first six months of this year, services provided by the country’s hotels amounted to $205 million, a 45% increase compared to the same period last year,» she highlighted.

Earlier this week, authorities reported that the inflow of foreign tourists to the city of Almaty increased by 73% in the first half of 2023. In terms of domestic travelers, the increase amounted to 24.6% compared to the same period last year.

As the Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported, 448,000 foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan this summer. Most of them were people aged 30 to 44 years, with men accounting for 64.4%. Almaty is the leader in terms of visitors from abroad, this summer the city accommodated more than 139,000 foreign tourists.