"This is self-deception": Tourists visiting Kazakhstan will be viewed differently following Tokayev's criticism.

Information regarding the revision of the methodology for calculating foreign tourists in Kazakhstan was presented at an extended meeting of the board dedicated to the results of 2024. During this meeting, the words of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were recalled, who referred to the data on the number of tourists in Kazakhstan from the previous year as self-deception.

According to the relevant agency's data, information about tourists will now be published based on the duration of their stay: whether for one, three, or 15 days. Experts believe this will enable market participants to analyze tourist data more accurately, as noted by agency representatives.

"According to statistics, out of 10.4 million tourists, only 969 thousand stayed in accommodations. Is it possible that more than 9 million people were living with relatives or friends? This indicates insufficient reporting from hoteliers and requires additional efforts from local authorities and hospitality entrepreneurs," said Deputy Minister of Tourism Yerzhan Yerkinbaev.

As agency representatives noted, a review of engineering infrastructure is being conducted to create comfortable conditions in resort areas across the country. Over the past five years, 139 engineering infrastructure projects worth 213 billion tenge have been implemented, improving the conditions for the development of the tourism sector. The review will identify problems and develop plans with measures to address them.

Timur Nahipbekov, Deputy Chairman of the National Chamber "Atameken," emphasized that active support from local authorities and government is necessary in 2025 to resolve systemic and long-term issues in tourism.

"Sectoral support measures for entrepreneurs in tourism are already in place, for which we are grateful to the Government. The increasing number of requests regarding these measures is a positive sign. In this regard, we urge to maintain and expand the list of support measures, simplify processes, and ensure adequate funding," the representative of the National Chamber noted in his speech.

Among the proposals from "Atameken" is the establishment of a mechanism for reimbursing infrastructure costs, transferring infrastructure provision issues to the competence of central government authorities, and supporting entrepreneurs using "green technologies."

Additionally, the possibility of reviving the Tourism Council for regular consideration of relevant issues at the government level is also being discussed.

It is worth recalling that back in 2023, during his annual address, Tokayev raised the issue of tourism development in Kazakhstan. He noted that breakthrough projects need to be implemented in the country's tourism sector and lamented that there are currently no significant successes in this important industry, and Kazakhstan is lagging behind other countries.

Last summer, Tokayev held a meeting on tourism development, where he outlined all the pros and cons of the sector, setting specific tasks for the relevant agency and related government bodies.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the insufficient use of the existing potential in the tourism sector, despite the country's favorable geographical location, diverse nature, and rich and unique historical and cultural heritage.

"Tourism, as an important sector of the economy, is not yet effective, which is a significant oversight by the Government and akimats. Over the past four years, the share of tourism in the economic structure has decreased from 3.7% to 3.2%. This is almost three times lower than the global average. Moreover, in this regard, we lag behind neighboring countries with similar climates and cultures. It is clear that urgent systemic measures are needed for a qualitative leap in the development of the tourism sector," he stated.

Among other presidential directives, the need for developing air transport, providing tourist zones with engineering infrastructure, and actively using modern tools to promote tourism in Kazakhstan was also mentioned.

It is noteworthy that last year, Kazakhstan saw a record number of tourists visiting—11.5 million people. This is twice as many as in 2023. The most popular destinations remained the megacities and western regions.

At the beginning of last year, it was reported that the government allocated about 4 billion tenge to improve hospitality standards in Kazakhstan.