The first annual summit on sustainable tourism in the countries of Central Asia – Central Asian Sustainable Tourism Annual Summit 2026 (CASTAS’26) was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event brought together about 150 representatives of the tourism industry, government bodies, business, international organisations and the expert community from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The organiser of the summit was the non-profit Central Asian foundation Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation (STDF). The sponsor was IGM Advisers Group. Strategic Partner: Qazaq National Parks (QNP). Official Partner: the mountain resort Oi-Qaragai.
Partners of the summit included the Tourism Department of Almaty City (Visit Almaty), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Kazakh Tourism Development (KTD), Ile-Alatau National Park, Institute of Sustainable Development (SKRI), Kazakhstan Tourist Association (KTA), Kazakhstan Association of Hotels and Restaurants (KAGIR), British Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, venture studio XYZ, creative agency DDA and law firm Artyushenko & Partners.
The summit was supported by 15 universities from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Among them the final of the competition for the logo of the STDF foundation was held.
During the summit participants discussed current challenges and prospects for the development of the tourism industry in Central Asia, international experience in forming sustainable tourism ecosystems, development of mountain tourism clusters, financing of investment projects in tourism, as well as issues of preserving natural heritage and sustainable development of national parks.
Anna Lukina, Managing Director of JSC National Investment Holding “Baiterek”, presented opportunities for financing and obtaining measures of state support for investment projects.
“Central Asia can become a benchmark for the development of sustainable tourism, and Kazakhstan a leader in this process,” summarised Maxim Handrabura, Senior Partner of IGM Advisers Group and CEO of STDF. According to him, the enormous natural and cultural potential of the region and the cross-border nature of inbound tourism create huge potential, the realisation of which, based on the principles of sustainable development, will help simultaneously develop the economy and preserve the ecological balance and biodiversity.
Managing Partner of IGM Advisers Central Asia, Tatyana Alexeeva, presented an analysis of the trends that have developed in tourism over the past 30 years both for each country of Central Asia and for the region as a whole. Key indicators of the current stage of development of sustainable tourism were measured and forecasts for the future were made. This report will serve as a starting point for monitoring changes and trends.
One of the key outcomes of the event was the announcement of the forthcoming launch of a micro-grant competition in the field of sustainable tourism with a total fund of 50 thousand US dollars. The programme is aimed at supporting local initiatives and projects contributing to the sustainable development of tourism territories of Central Asia.
In addition, the organisers officially announced the holding of the first Central Asian Tourism Investment Forum (CATIF’26) — a new annual investment platform for projects in the development of sustainable tourism, which will take place in autumn 2026. The forum will become a platform for interaction between investors, developers, tourism businesses and state development institutions.
CASTAS’26 will become an annual platform for forming a joint agenda for the development of sustainable tourism in Central Asia and strengthening regional cooperation in one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy.