In an interview with Jibek Joly TV, Daniyel Serzhanuly, the acting chairman of Kazakh Tourism, stated that Kazakhstan should enhance its international marketing efforts to attract more foreign tourists. He highlighted the importance of targeted campaigns aimed at drawing higher-spending travelers.
“We have been tasked to revise Kazakh Tourism’s work through stronger international marketing. To make tourism in our country more attractive, we need more advertising campaigns,” said Serzhanuly, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazakh media.
He explained that the company is prioritizing the concept of a “target tourist,” as only a fraction of Kazakhstan’s 10 million annual foreign visitors generate significant economic benefit.
Serzhanuly noted that the launch of direct flights to major Chinese cities plays a central role in attracting foreign visitors, and that current efforts are focused on boosting arrivals from these markets.
Market-specific campaigns
According to Serzhanuly, campaigns must be tailored to specific markets and products.
“Tourism marketing is not particularly difficult. For successful implementation, we began establishing partnerships with airlines and travel organizations. For example, when we learn about Air Astana’s new flight from Guangzhou, we go there for negotiations with the carrier. We invite representatives of Chinese tour operators to Kazakhstan and hold large-scale presentations,” he said.
“Our main goal is to demonstrate Kazakhstan’s tourism potential abroad,” he added, noting that the country is focusing its outreach on China, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, the Middle East, and European markets.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted this priority at a June 2024 government meeting, stressing that despite Kazakhstan’s strategic location, natural diversity, and unique cultural heritage, the country’s tourism potential remains underutilized.
Tourism infrastructure limits
However, at the moment, a limited number of regions are ready to accommodate foreign tourists.
“We do not advertise all regions of Kazakhstan equally to foreigners. Today, only five or six regions are ready to receive tourists from abroad. These are Almaty, Almaty Region, Turkistan, Mangystau Region, and Katon-Karagai in East Kazakhstan. We also present Astana and Burabai as a single tourism destination,” said Serzhanuly.
“The rest of the regions are not yet ready to receive large numbers of international tourists because they lack the necessary infrastructure,” he added.
Roadside services are underdeveloped, guides with foreign-language skills are in short supply, and the country does not have a sufficient number of three-star and four-star hotels. These shortcomings are critical barriers to attracting tourists from markets with higher expectations.
According to Serzhanuly, many popular summer mainly serve domestic travelers.
“Foreigners also go there, but not many. Domestic tourists are one thing, and foreign ones are completely different: they set higher requirements and bring in foreign currency,” he said.
Tourism’s economic role
In 2023, Kazakhstan’s export of tourism services reached $2.6 billion.
“This amount cannot be considered large. The share of tourism in our GDP is only a few percent. In developed countries, it exceeds 10%, and revenues reach $20-30 billion. The difference is tenfold. The main goal of international tourism is attracting foreign currency, which then works for the benefit of the local population,” said Serzhanuly.
At the same time, he emphasized that domestic tourism has a social function. It is viewed as essential for recreation, helping people restore their strength after work. Many residents choose destinations such as Balkhash and Alakol, which are promoted as part of social policy.
