Finprom has calculated that the expenses of Russian tourists this year amounted to 1.8 billion tenge, or 3.69 million US dollars, which is an increase of 8.6% compared to last year. A total of 186,000 citizens of Russia visited Kazakhstan in the first half of 2024, as reported by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In second place for spending in Kazakhstan were tourists from Uzbekistan. Their expenses were 20% lower this year compared to last year, totaling 392.8 million tenge or 805.3 thousand US dollars.
Third place was taken by tourists from Turkey, who increased their spending by 10.5% to 299.7 million tenge or 614.4 thousand US dollars.
The highest revenues from tourists were received by Astana, the capital of the country, and Almaty with its mountain resorts. The northern regions bordering Russia are the least popular among tourists.
In total, for the first nine months of 2024, foreign tourists spent 4.1 billion tenge ($8.4 million) in Kazakhstan, which is an increase of 13.4% compared to the same period in 2023.
The largest expenses of tourists are related to transportation, followed by cafes and restaurants, with shops in third place and hotels in fourth. This is explained by the fact that most tourists stay with relatives or friends, and less than half of them rent apartments or hotels, sanatoriums, or recreation centers.