According to the Tourism Industry Committee under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan, the Almaty Mountain Cluster (AMC) is expected to become the largest year-round tourism project in Central Asia by 2029.
On May 23, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov was shown the project development plan. He also took a helicopter tour of the AMC, accompanied by business representatives.
Among the presenters of the AMC development plan were:
- Yerbolat Dossayev, then-mayor of Almaty;
- Rustam Karagoishin, chairman of Baiterek Holding;
- Siniša Topalović, partner at Horwath HTL (U.S.);
- Vincent Tassart, CEO of Stem International (France);
- Joan Viladomat, president of PGI Management (Andorra).
Under the master plan for the project, between 300 and 700 kilometers of ski trails will be established across three promising zones — eastern, central and western — all spanning from Turgen to Kaskelen. The central zone alone, which includes Shymbulak, Oi-Qaragai, Pioneer, Kimasar and Butakovka, will see, for example, the number of ski lifts increase from 16 to 58.
Project implementation is expected to increase AMC’s daily capacity 5.6-fold, from 6,000 to 34,000 people.
As Siniša Topalović noted, once the master plan is implemented, Almaty will become a year-round mountain tourism destination, comparable to many of its world-class peers.
Joan Viladomat announced the Almaty Superski concept, under which Kumbel Peak and the Kok-Zhailau area are planned to receive ski trails exceeding 65 kilometers in length.
In turn, Vincent Tassart highlighted that apart from winter tourism, AMC will also be developed with cycling routes and hiking trails, glamping facilities, ethnic hotels and the launch of eco-friendly means of transport.
According to Bektenov, Kazakhstan aims to become a prominent tourist destination and holds a major advantage — the Almaty mountains. Many international experts recognize their beauty and tourism potential.
«That’s why we’re planning to build a world-class high-altitude resort in the coming years,» he said.
The design work for AMC’s infrastructure is currently underway in its central zone.
The government is going to cover all infrastructural costs, including transport networks, roads, utilities and mountain skiing infrastructure. The cabinet hopes that once the necessary infrastructure is in place, businesses will start actively investing in the AMC projects, expecting that every dollar spent on mountain infrastructure will attract two dollars in private investment in resort development.
«This project will entirely reshape the economic landscape, not only in Almaty and the Almaty region, but in the country as a whole,» Bektenov emphasized.
