The Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation (STDF), jointly with the British, French and Austrian Chambers of Commerce in Kazakhstan, held an online webinar “Opportunities in Kazakhstan’s Growing Tourism Sector” addressed to foreign potential investors and partners considering the tourism sector of Kazakhstan and Central Asia as a promising area for cooperation.
The webinar was opened by Maxim Handrabura, Senior Partner of IGM Advisers Group and CEO of STDF, who outlined the strategic context: the forthcoming First Investment Tourism Forum in Central Asia, the role of the Foundation as a competence centre for the development of sustainable tourism in the region, the potential of the Almaty mountain cluster and the significance of the announced Asian Winter Games 2029 as a catalyst for tourism development.
In the analytical part the following were presented: an overview of tourism opportunities in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, current industry trends, key market players, growth drivers and development scenarios, as well as instruments of state support and financing.
The central block of the webinar was the presentation of investment projects in six key areas of tourism infrastructure:
• Basic tourism infrastructure — visitor centres, roads, utility facilities in zones of tourist attraction
• Hotels and glamping — accommodation facilities of various formats, including ecological concepts
• Transport and logistics — connectivity of tourism clusters
• Ski resorts — development of winter tourism ahead of the Asian Games 2029 and the new large-scale Almaty Superski mountain resort
• Ecotourism and retreats — sustainable tourism products in natural locations
• Water resorts and SPA — health and wellness tourism
• Adventure tourism — active formats in mountain and natural zones.
The Q&A session was moderated by Dinara Abileva, representative of the British Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan.
The webinar became the first public presentation of the STDF to an international audience and laid the foundation for dialogue with foreign investors ahead of the First Central Asian Tourism Investment Forum (CATIF’26). Stay tuned for updates!