Why Tourism Is Hard to Develop in Kazakhstan

I am a thoroughgoing liberal, and I believe any industry can develop only through the private sector. The state should do no more than provide the conditions and the infrastructure.

Kazakhstan is a unique country in terms of its natural beauty, but, unfortunately, that is not enough to build a full-fledged tourism industry.

The main problem for Kazakhstan's tourism is the short season, especially for water-based tourism.

I lived in Kokshetau for a long time, and I love everything around it. After the abolition of Kokshetau Region, some of those places stayed in Akmola Region and some went to North Kazakhstan Region. My favorite is Lake Shalkar, although I haven't been there for some 15 years. There are beautiful places in Zerenda, Arykbalyk and elsewhere. But the most significant of them is Burabay.

These are very picturesque places, with beautiful and unique nature.

But we have to admit that full-fledged tourism cannot be developed in these areas. The season there lasts two months, and for the rest of the year owners simply have to maintain their buildings. That is why energy-intensive buildings are, in principle, unable to pay for themselves. There is no gas, so they are heated with coal. Imagine what it means to heat an empty hotel every day, warm the water for the pool and fire up the sauna.

Burabay's development relies largely on state support.

In Almaty Region, the problem is a different one: the lack of proper infrastructure. The mountains around Almaty could attract tourists, but that would require far too much capital investment, incomparably more than on the plains.

There are also the Kolsai Lakes, Charyn, Chundzha, Balkhash, Alakol and so on, but all of these places have exactly the same problems: no infrastructure and a short season.

As a result, these areas are, for the most part, built up with easily assembled cabins that lack proper amenities.

For the most part, all of our tourist zones are designed for domestic tourism.

To develop inbound tourism, you need uniqueness and, beyond that, the removal of all administrative barriers, sound migration legislation and security. The most suitable option for us is the development of eco-tourism, and that requires developing infrastructure.

So if we want to develop tourism, I would start with the police and migration legislation, then turn to infrastructure: hiking trails, decent roads, campsites, signage and rescue stations. After that, people will build and equip everything themselves, even if only with flimsy cabins.