Tourism

Kazakhstan is ranked 66th in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Tourist visitation to the country increased from 4.2 million in 2016 to 10.7 million in 2019. Due to the 2020 pandemic, there was a decline to 3.5 million. In 2022, 8.6 million people visited the country. As of Q3 2023, 6.3 million people have visited the country.

In 2021, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Kazakhstan is ranked 129th on the list with tourism's share of GDP at 6.2% and a monetary volume of $7.9bn. Meanwhile, the country's government has ambitious plans to increase the industry's contribution to GDP to 15% within five years.

Kazakhstan provides 90-day visa-free travel for citizens of 10 countries and 30-day visa-free travel for citizens of 67 countries. In 2014, the state launched a program to grant 15-day visa-free regime to citizens from countries that invested the most in Kazakhstan's economy. In 2015, the number of countries participating in the program increased to 19.

As of 2024, Kazakhstan has five sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, three of which are of cultural and two of natural significance. These are the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Tamgaly archaeological landscape, the Great Silk Road sites in the Chang'an-Tian Shan corridor and Saryarka - Steppes and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan. Thirteen more sites are candidates for inclusion in the list

The state at the republican and local executive level creates conditions for the development of this industry by creating favorable conditions for doing business in the country. Investors are offered preferential credit terms, customs duties, tax breaks and in-kind grants.